New Federal Privacy Bill Planned by Senator Thune; FTC Announces Hearings

The Federal Government is already making plans on data privacy issues for this fall. In addition to the planned policy proposal from the Trump Administration, Senator John Thune has announced that he will be introducing a new federal privacy bill and the Federal Trade Commission has announced its first set of public hearings to analyze its policy priorities.

Federal Privacy Law Debate Heats Up

Senator John Thune (R-SD) is planning to announce an online privacy bill in September with Congressional hearings to follow, according to media reports. Senator Thune is the Chairmen of the Senate Commerce Committee and has previously made statements about the need for Congressional regulation of data privacy following the Cambridge Analytica scandal at Facebook. The legislation is separate from the proposal that the Trump administration plans to send to Congress later this year.

Before the Facebook hearings in April, Senator Thune told reporters that it was time for Congress to exercise oversight on the issue of data privacy. and made an opening statement at the April hearing. Thune told Zuckerberg that he had an obligation to prevent Facebook from becoming a “privacy nightmare” for its users.

Senator Thune has also recently said that he would be reluctant to give rulemaking authority to the FTC on privacy and data security issues, despite support for it among oather legislators. The issue of rulemaking authority and the FTC’s priorities was the subject of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Digital Consumer and Consumer Protection in July.

It remains to be seen how much the proposals will incorporate suggestions from businesses. After initial resistance to privacy legislation, businesses are pushing for federal standards in exchange for preemption of some or all of the California Consumer Privacy Act. According to a New York Times article from over the weekend, the lobbying of both the federal government and lawmakers in California has been intense. Statements by U.S. government officials have suggested that the White House is looking for a combination of privacy and prosperity.

First Set of FTC Public Hearings Announced

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission announced its first set of public hearings on privacy, consumer protection and competition priorities that it promised earlier this year. The first two day session is scheduled for September 13-14, 2018 at the Georgetown University Law Center. The purpose of this hearing will be to examine whether broad-based changes in the economy, business practices, new technologies and international developments require adjustments in the enforcement priorities of the Commission. The public policy hearing will have a session on Thursday afternoon on the Regulation of Consumer Data moderated by James Cooper of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC.

The fifth hearing announced will see more focus on privacy. The policy hearing on Privacy, Big Data and Competition is scheduled for November 6-7, 2018 at the American University Washington College of Law. The FTC previously sought public comment on this topic during the summer.

FTC Chair Joe Simons has previously said that privacy and data security “top the list” of FTC priorities on consumer protection.

More from Clarip – Other Blog Posts on Privacy Bills in the US Senate:

American Data Dissemination Act – Senator Marco Rubio.
Data Care Act – 15 Senate Democrats led by Senator Schatz
Consumer Data Protection Act – Draft by Senator Wyden
8 Proposals on Privacy from Draft Senate Policy Paper
Social Media Privacy and Consumer Rights Act introduced into Senate
Senate to Consider CONSENT Act for Enhanced Privacy Protections Online
Do Not Track Kids Act Back in Congress

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