IA Again Seeks US Privacy Law Amid Advocate Opposition, ISOC Findings

Congress should pass comprehensive federal privacy legislation for a national standard reflecting American values, the Internet Association said Tuesday. IA’s new campaign seeks privacy protections that enable user control over data regardless of industry and location. IA urged legislation that allows users to access, correct, delete and download data. Fight for the Future Deputy Director Evan Greer accused Silicon Valley of trying to get “Congress to pass a law that lets them continue harvesting and abusing our sensitive data” and override state laws like those in California (see 1909160045): “We need real data privacy protections that guard against discrimination, allow people to sue tech companies that misuse their data, and don’t pre-empt state laws.” Also Tuesday, the Internet Society’s (ISOC) Online Trust Alliance reported most companies and organizations it studied don’t comply with international privacy regulations and aren’t “prepared for new US regulations rolling out in 2020.” About 98 percent have privacy statements with language about data sharing, and 67 percent said they don’t share data with third parties. Less than 1 percent “had language stating which types of third parties could access user data,” the group said. ISOC said it analyzed 1,200 privacy statements from organizations.