Trump White House’s Blueprint of Internet Privacy Rules for Congress

Despite the endorsements for a privacy laws, a draft of the White House proposal suggests that the new law would prevent states from passing their own additional privacy rules. It would also remove some liabilities from companies that mishandle user data.

The U.S. president is not responsible for creating new laws, but the Washington Post said that the Trump Administration wants to create a “blueprint” that Congress can follow when writing the new privacy law. According to the Washington Post, technology and telecom companies may see this recent trends as an opportunity to pass a federal privacy law that isn’t as strict and pro-consumer as some states have started to consider. California already implemented new privacy rules in June, and companies may fear that other states could follow in its footsteps. Tech companies, such as Facebook, also know that Congress isn’t much on their side following the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal. Many members of Congress have already made that clear in hearings with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg looking to prevent such scandals from happening in the future.WP

U.S. Privacy Groups Are Cautious but Optimistic

The President of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Mark Rotenberg, said that limiting states from passing their own privacy rules could be a “non-starter for consumer organizations.”.WP

Back when the Obama administration wrote its own draft for stronger privacy rules at the federal level, technology and advertising companies, such as Google and Facebook, were successful in killing that initiative through lobbying efforts. However, consumer rights groups now believe that after Cambridge Analytica and other privacy scandals, it should be easier to convince Congress of the need to pass stronger privacy legislation.

Tags: Technology, Internet Privacy Rules, U.S. Privacy Groups Are Cautious but Optimistic, Trump White House’s Blueprint of Internet Privacy Rules for Congress

Mohsen Daemi
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