Senators Reintroduce Bill To Protect Personal Data Online
Brian Schatz of Hawaii and 18 other senators re-enacted the Data Care Act of 2018 to set higher standards for confidential information. Companies will need to provide sufficient protection for identifying data, including promptly notifying customers of a breach. They also cannot misuse this data and must ensure that third parties treat any shared data with the same respect.
The measure gives the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the power to penalize companies that break the rules, including third parties.
Independents Bernie Sanders and Angus King also support the bill. The original Data Care Act received support from 15 Democrats. There is no guarantee that the revived Act will be successful. The original bill was never put to a vote after it was introduced in December 2018. In 2023, Republicans will lead the House of Representatives. If the votes on this bill are divided in the House of Representatives along party lines, it will not get to the president’s table for approval.
The Data Care Act theoretically satisfies politicians, if only because they shift much of the responsibility to business.
