Weak US Privacy Law Hurts America’s Global Standing
Data risks posed by domestic firms, from widespread data collection to unrestricted data selling, also demand action from Washington. While numerous privacy bills purporting to address these problems circulate the halls of Congress, none have become law. Senator Richard Blumenthal recently said of American privacy regulation, “Europe’s way ahead of us. China is about to go ahead of us. The rest of the world is leaving us behind.”
Citizens and consumers desperately need strong privacy laws to protect them against the damage wreaked by firms with too much data. This is especially true because US government agencies and corporations have long targeted surveillance disproportionately, if not exclusively, against already marginalized communities—causing disparate harms across racial, class, gender, citizenship, and other lines.
Source: Weak US Privacy Law Hurts America’s Global Standing | WIRED
