“A much-anticipated bill that may give the U.S. government the ability to collect civil penalties if a company misuses consumer data on the internet or allows it to be stolen could be drafted early next year, a lawmaker said on Tuesday,” Diane Bartz reports for Reuters. “A subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee discussed elements of the bill on Tuesday, including the possibility that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) could be given the authority as enforcer to oversee telecommunications companies and non-profits, exact civil penalties and create regulations.”
“Members of U.S. Congress from both parties have criticized Facebook, Alphabet Inc’s Google and Twitter Inc over data breaches, a lack of online privacy options and concern about political bias,” Bartz reports. “Republican Senator Jerry Moran, chairman of the consumer protection, product safety, insurance and data security subcommittee, said although he supported privacy rules he was not sure about imposing civil penalties.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said at the hearing he hoped a draft would be finished ‘early in the session (next year),'” Bartz reports. “Senator John Thune, who chairs the Commerce Committee, said his committee was also exploring privacy legislation but did not give details.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Quotes from Apple CEO Tim Cook:
I see privacy as one of the most important issues of the twenty-first century. We’re at a stage now where more information about you is online and on your phone than there is in your house… We [at Apple] take that very seriously. I’m not a pro-regulation kind of person. I believe in the free market. Deeply… [but] I think some level of government regulation is important to come out of that.
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You are not our product.
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The narrative that some companies will try to get you to believe is, “I’ve got to take all of your data to make my service better.” Well, don’t believe them. Whoever’s telling you that, it’s a bunch of bunk.
SEE ALSO:
Congress to grill Google CEO about political bias; ‘Search engines can be used to suppress particular viewpoints’ – U.S. Congressman – November 28, 2018
Apple CEO Tim Cook says new U.S. privacy regulations are ‘inevitable’ – November 19, 2018
Apple CEO Cook says companies are weaponizing our personal data, and he’s right
Apple CEO Cook promotes privacy as ‘fundamental human right’ via tweetstorm; asks ‘What kind of world do we want to live in?’ – October 24, 2018
CNN interview: Apple CEO Cook believes data collection by the likes of Google and Facebook has crossed the line – October 24, 2018
Video of data privacy keynote address from Apple CEO Cook – October 24, 2018
Apple CEO Cook backs comprehensive federal privacy laws in the U.S., warns data being ‘weaponized’ – October 24, 2018
FBI investigating Facebook security breach where attackers accessed 30 million users’ personal information – October 12, 2018
Google exposed user data, did not disclose to public fearing repercussions – October 10, 2018
After trying and failing to hide the issue, Alphabet pulls plug on Google+ after bug exposes data from up to 500,000 users – October 8, 2018
Facebook discovers security breach affecting 50 million users – September 28, 2018
Facebook is giving advertisers access to users’ shadow contact information – September 27, 2018
42% of U.S. users have ‘taken a break’ from Facebook; 28% have deleted the Facebook app in the past year – September 5, 2018
Researchers find Google harvests more data from Android – and Apple iOS – users than most people think – August 21, 2018
Google hit with lawsuit accusing them of tracking phone users regardless of privacy settings – August 20, 2018
Google tracks users movements even when explicitly told not to – Associated Press – August 13, 2018
Mark Zuckerberg loses $16 billion in record Facebook fall – July 26, 2018
Facebook stock plunges as users vanish – July 25, 2018
Apple highlights user privacy as Facebook exec steps down – June 14, 2018
The 18 things you may not realize Facebook knows about you: Firm reveals the extent of its spying in a 454-page document to U.S. Congress – June 12, 2018
Facebook confirms sharing users’ personal data with Chinese companies – June 6, 2018
Apple’s macOS Mojave removes integration with third-party internet accounts like Facebook – June 6, 2018
Apple borks Facebook’s pervasive personal data-harvesting operation – June 5, 2018
Apple requested ‘zero’ personal data in deals with Facebook – CEO Tim Cook – June 5, 2018
Facebook CEO blasts Apple’s latest privacy protections as ‘cute virtue signaling’ – June 5, 2018
Certainly, reform and legislation is long OVERDUE. Fingers crossed both parties can work together to pass a solution…
… that this would be something that they could agree on, but with all of the animosity I’m not holding my breath.
I’m willing to bet they’ll pass something watered down with no teeth that’s impossible to enforce or has no real consequences. “I’m from the government and I’m here to help”
Interesting, GoeB…the GOP has had full control over the Administration and Congress for nearly two years, but has done nothing to address this “long OVERDUE” issue.
Now you are calling for a “bipartisan” solution so that you can blame the “other side” for failing to cooperate. You are such a freaking tool.
“Now you are calling for a “bipartisan” solution so that you can blame the “other side” for failing to cooperate. You are such a freaking tool.”
You have a problem with a bipartisan solution, Melvin? I’m a party tool and you’re not, ROTFL. 😂
Guess your eyes are wide shut going back to the 1990s when trade treaties accelerated and tariffs have taken an unfair advantage over the U.S. ever since. Guess you have been hiding under a rock immigration laws are broken for decades. Guess you are clueless the national debt has been rising under EVERY president, year after year, since 1969.
So tell me, when Democrats held “full control” what have they done?… crickets : : :
Google is a relatively new problem in the sense that even though they have been around since 1998, in the last two years following the lead of the media since Trump was elected, lost their liberal minds and manipulated algorithms to practice partisan bias.
Unlike a fire breathing partisan such as yourself, I would speak out the same if the shoe were on the other foot. You, no way Jose…
Now if only they would apply such a law to the US Government.
Bingo.
I remain far less concerned about my privacy from Facebook and Google than I do about my privacy from the United States Government, states, cities, and so on.
I am 99% sure that any privacy legislation will be primarily targeted at making sure we cannot be influenced politically by means they don’t control.
The idiots remain convinced that some stupid Russian memes and fake news caused Hillary to lose the election. They think Cambridge Analytica helped to elect Trump. If Hillary had won, they wouldn’t even be talking about this. If the Brits had voted against BREXIT, it wouldn’t be an issue there either.
These “representatives” only represent themselves. Whatever privacy that is protected by their proposed legislation will have no provisions for limiting government access to my data. On top of this, legislation over the Internet has a way of being utterly stupid and doing damage as opposed to making anything better.
Absolutely spot on
The people in the industry, some folks on this forum, had better get off their collective butts and put this on paper and hand it to your congressmen. To not do so will be to get what we deserve. I can not imagine the incomprehensible mess these idiots on the hill could make of something so vital. There are only a single digit total of congressmen, possibly more since the midterms, who hold a computer science degree. This group is simply not capable of writing this legislation and needs our help. Please try to get involved or I promise you we won’t like the outcome.
When has the FED ever done anything right when coming out with a new bill being passed by both houses of the Democrats or Republicans???