Oregon Senator Proposes a Consumer Data Protection Bill
Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden drafted a data privacy bill akin to the recent General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation in Europe. Dubbed the Consumer Data Protection Act, Wyden’s bill would give users more control over selling and sharing their data, and would give the Federal Trade Commission authority to set privacy and security standards and fine those companies that do not protect consumer data. One provision is a “Do Not Track” feature that would allow people to opt out of being tracked.
Digital Trends reports that the latter is “the digital equivalent of the popular Do Not Call Registry established by the FTC in 2003, which allows people to opt out of receiving phone calls from telemarketers.”
Companies would have to offer alternative payment options “such as subscription fees instead of ad-supported ‘free’ models.”
At Georgetown Law’s Communication & Techology Clinic, teaching fellow and attorney Lindsey Barrett tweeted that Wyden’s bill “injects sorely needed accountability” into today’s flawed “information ecosystem.” But Rendition InfoSec co-founder Jake Williams, a National Security Agency veteran, noted that the bill is unlikely to pass. “Even if it does, it won’t mean what you might think,” he said. “It won’t create a SOX-style environment around cyber. Sorry.”
See the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/oregon-senator-proposes-a-consumer-data-protection-bill/