Congress Eyes New Tech Rules: What’s Under Consideration?
In recent years, concerns about tech regulation have been growing, particularly with China’s ownership of TikTok and parents’ worries about their children’s mental health from social media. President Joe Biden has emphasized the need for bipartisan legislation that would limit personal data collection and ban targeted advertising to children. Lawmakers have introduced several bipartisan bills aimed at regulating the tech industry. However, big tech companies have aggressively fought federal interference, and new rules or guidelines could be complicated.
Children’s Safety
Several Senate and House bills would seek to make the internet and social media safer for children, who are inevitably online. The Senate has two competing bills focused on children’s online safety. One bill, introduced by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn), would require social media companies to be more transparent about their operations and enable child safety settings by default. The second proposed bill, introduced by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn), Tom Cotton (R-Ark), and Katie Britt (R-Ala), would be more aggressive by prohibiting children under 13 from using social media platforms and requiring parental consent for teenagers. Furthermore, this bill would prevent companies from recommending content through algorithms for users below 18. However, critics of these bills suggest that these proposals could threaten teens’ online privacy and prevent them from accessing useful resources.
Data Privacy
Biden’s State of the Union speech referred to legislation introduced by Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass) and Bill Cassidy (R-La) that would expand child privacy protections online. The bill would prohibit companies from collecting personal data from younger teenagers and prevent targeted advertising to children and teens. Moreover, it will create an “erase button” enabling parents and children to eliminate personal data when possible. In addition, the House introduced legislation that would provide adults with more control over their data, and supporters refer to it as a “national privacy standard.” This legislation passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee with bipartisan support. It would attempt to minimize data collected and make it illegal to target ads to children, overstepping state laws that have attempted to enforce privacy restrictions.
Related Facts
* Technology companies will aggressively fight any federal interference.
* Lawmakers have introduced several bipartisan bills aimed at regulating the tech industry.
* Children’s safety is a principal focus of proposed tech regulation.
* Legislation aimed at giving adults more control over their data is under consideration.
* The need for bipartisan legislation to impose stricter limits on personal data collection and ban targeted advertising to children has been emphasized.
Key Takeaway
The tech industry is becoming increasingly regulated, and lawmakers have introduced several bipartisan bills aimed at protecting children from online harms and giving adults more control over their data privacy. However, big tech companies have aggressively fought any federal interference, making it challenging to introduce new rules or guidelines that could solve the problem.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as Congress considers new rules for tech, lawmakers must strike a balance between ensuring online safety while preventing tech companies from overstepping their bounds. There is a groundswell of bipartisan support for the regulation of tech, but lawmakers must work together to create legislation that is inclusive and sensible, without infringing on the rights of internet users. Ultimately, new rules and regulations should prioritize protecting vulnerable people, such as children, while taking into account any potential negative effects on users’ privacy.
