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Democratic Senators Propose 'Privacy Bill of Rights' To Prevent Websites From Sharing Or Selling Sensitive Info Without Opt-In Consent (arstechnica.com)
Democratic Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today proposed a "privacy bill of rights" that would prevent Facebook and other websites from sharing or selling sensitive information without a customer's opt-in consent. The proposed law would protect customers' web browsing and application usage history, private messages, and any sensitive personal data such as financial and health information. Ars Technica reports: Markey teamed with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to propose the Customer Online Notification for Stopping Edge-provider Network Transgressions (CONSENT) Act. You can read the full legislation here. "Edge providers" refers to websites and other online services that distribute content over consumer broadband networks. Facebook and Google are the dominant edge providers when it comes to advertising and the use of customer data to serve targeted ads. No current law requires edge providers to seek customers' permission before using their browsing histories to serve personalized ads. The online advertising industry uses self-regulatory mechanisms in which websites let visitors opt out of personalized advertising based on browsing history, and websites can be punished by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) if they break their privacy promises.
The Markey/Blumenthal bill's stricter opt-in standard would require edge providers to "obtain opt-in consent from a customer to use, share, or sell the sensitive customer proprietary information of the customer." Edge providers would not be allowed to impose "take-it-or-leave-it" offers that require customers to consent in order to use the service. The FTC and state attorneys general would be empowered to enforce the new opt-in requirements. The bill would require edge providers to notify users about all collection, use, and sharing of their information. The bill also requires edge providers "to develop reasonable data security practices" and to notify customers about data breaches that affect them.
The Markey/Blumenthal bill's stricter opt-in standard would require edge providers to "obtain opt-in consent from a customer to use, share, or sell the sensitive customer proprietary information of the customer." Edge providers would not be allowed to impose "take-it-or-leave-it" offers that require customers to consent in order to use the service. The FTC and state attorneys general would be empowered to enforce the new opt-in requirements. The bill would require edge providers to notify users about all collection, use, and sharing of their information. The bill also requires edge providers "to develop reasonable data security practices" and to notify customers about data breaches that affect them.
The consent shouldnâ(TM)t be for using or sharing your data, it should be for collecting it in the 1st place
Presumably the bill doesn't cover data already farmed without consent, only further farming from now on.
It could be argued that FB has farmed as much data as possible already (since its popularity is more or less shrinking now). Zuck's move is "I got mine, now let's make sure nobody else gets hands on it".
Reminder that this discussion isn't about privacy, but straight competition between data brokers. Massive, and accurate human behavior corpuses, of which FB is one of the largest repository will be monetized in machine learning models soon enough.
I also wonder if google search will become pay service now, or what?
The proposed US legislation looks weak compared to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Why should people in the US have weaker protection? Facebook and other data collectors should be required to conform to a GDPR equivalent in the US and North America.
Exactly. How can legislators not see that this is worthless? We will have a pop up on every website/app demanding CONSENT and if we click NO the website/app won't let us have access. Congratulations on passing a law to add another pop up to all websites and apps.
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Are you kidding? Facebook probably wrote the law. It's just a pop up and if you click NO I do not give CONSENT they just won't give you access to Facebook. Great job congress, now we have to give them more permission to steal our data
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Because they don't care. This is just a song-and-dance to their constituents to look like give a shit.
Senator: Do you even understand how serious the data privacy breach is here? It's almost as if your entire business model is simply selling private data to anyone for any reason regardless of user settings. If Facebook doesn't get it together we will regulate each and every one of your competitors into bankruptcy! Are you even listening to us Mr. Zuckerberg?
Try again. This is informing users and requiring them to give that data up willingly int he first place. Currently, Facebook et al rape it out of you surreptitiously.