Wash. House Panel Mulls Data Broker, AI Bills

Passing a data broker registration bill would help Washington state better understand the industry's scope, Rep. Shelley Kloba (D) said Friday as the state’s House Consumer Protection Committee heard testimony on Kloba’s HB-2277 during a livestreamed hearing. The bill would require data brokers to register with the state. Submitted information would appear on a public website. Brokers are selling data that people generate during daily activities online, through connected devices and while driving cars, said Kloba: It often happens without a person’s permission. The committee also mulled multiple AI bills, including HB-1934, which would establish an AI task force and HB-1951, which attempts to prevent algorithmic discrimination. "Sometimes we have to put guardrails around things to protect people's civil liberties and to keep people safe,” said HB-1934 sponsor Rep. Travis Couture (R). Rep. Clyde Shavers (D) said his HB-1951 is an “incremental first step to make sure that the use of artificial intelligence helps, not harms us."