Push for federal data privacy law grows as rights vary by state
Roll CallJan 17
Bipartisan Data Privacy Bill Proposed in Congress
The Facts
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Rep. Cathy McMorris (R-Wash.), both respectively chairs of each chamber's commerce committee, have proposed a bipartisan bill titled the American Privacy Rights Act.
The proposed bill would enable Americans to opt out of data practices such as targeted advertising, and force companies to collect only as much data as is necessary to offer specific products to users. All provisions would be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
With over a dozen US states and the European Union (EU) having passed their own privacy laws, Congress is finally acting on this paramount issue. Notably, unlike most state laws in effect, the bill would allow consumers to sue tech companies for violating the terms of the legislation. This topic is too great to be dealt with at the state political level — a topic of such national importance must be addressed federally.
Establishment-critical narrative
Congress has no real desire to pass data regulations on American tech companies. As was shown by the Twitter Files, the government is very close to Big Tech, to the point where Silicon Valley's most powerful firms censor whoever the intelligence agencies ask them to. Americans shouldn't expect their data to be protected, instead they should only anticipate further crackdowns on dissenting opinions.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that the EU will adopt legally binding regulations protecting the individual's right to explanation by 2028, according to the Metaculus prediction community.