“The Trump administration is crafting a proposal to protect Web users’ privacy, aiming to blunt global criticism that the absence of strict federal rules in the United States has enabled data mishaps at Facebook and others in Silicon Valley,” Tony Romm reports for The Washington Post. “Over the past month, the Commerce Department has been huddling with representatives of tech giants such as Facebook and Google, Internet providers including AT&T and Comcast, and consumer advocates, according to four people familiar with the matter but not authorized to speak on the record.”
“The government’s goal is to release an initial set of ideas this fall that outlines Web users’ rights, including general principles for how companies should collect and handle consumers’ private information, the people said,” Romm reports. “The forthcoming blueprint could then become the basis for Congress to write the country’s first wide-ranging online-privacy law, an idea the White House recently has said it could endorse. ‘Through the White House National Economic Council, the Trump Administration aims to craft a consumer privacy protection policy that is the appropriate balance between privacy and prosperity,’ Lindsay Walters, the president’s deputy press secretary, said in a statement. ‘We look forward to working with Congress on a legislative solution consistent with our overarching policy.'”
“So far, the Trump administration has held 22 meetings with more than 80 companies, trade associations and consumer groups since late June, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, one of the entities involved in the effort,” Romm reports. “Privacy hawks have told the Commerce Department that they should turn to Europe for inspiration [GDPR]… Meanwhile, U.S. businesses are pushing the Trump administration to articulate a vision for privacy that’s less aggressive than that of Europe, participants in the talks say.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Whether it should be done at the federal or at the state level can be debated, but some protections certainly need to be implemented with millions giving away their private data to the likes of Facebook and Google without even knowing it or what it’s being used for while mailing off their DNA – their DNA! – to outfits willy-nilly.
SEE ALSO:
California’s data privacy law highlights growing frustration with tech industry – July 17, 2018
U.S. House Republicans demand answers from Apple, Google on privacy, data practices – July 9, 2018
California lawmakers approve data-privacy bill despite opposition from Google, Facebook, advertisers – June 29, 2018
Apple highlights user privacy as Facebook exec steps down – June 14, 2018