Article link:https://www.npr.org/2018/10/08/654893289/why-the-tech-industry-wants-federal-control-over-data-privacy-laws
Due to the recent enactment of laws in California and Europe, tech companies are required to protect the privacy of users and will receive huge fines if they choose not to do so. In May, Europe enacted a law that forces companies to disclose data breaches within 72 hours of finding them. Last month, Facebook had to publicly announce that at least 50 million accounts were affected by a data breach. Due to California enacting a privacy law in June, users are permitted to sue Facebook for the damages caused by the data breach. Tech companies are fearful that other states will follow California and enact strict privacy laws. They desire for a preemption clause to make sure that federal law trumps all state privacy laws and that the Federal Trade Commission would be the one in charge of enforcing privacy laws. This would allow companies to avoid a multitude of laws in various states. Critics, however, point out that the FTC lacks the authority to enforce new privacy rules. They say that the FTC can only track people for breaching statements they’ve made in their privacy policies.
Questions:
- Should more states start enacting data privacy laws?
- Should data privacy laws be enforced by the states or by the federal government?
- What measures should tech companies take to prevent future data breaches from occurring?
I think that more states should enact data privacy laws because the protection of someone's information should one of the priorities of a tech company. Data privacy laws show a tech company's willingness to protect their consumers and reveals what they prioritize. The federal government should enforce these laws if enough states also pass similar laws. This can help avoid companies from making the argument that a data breach only effected residents of a state that doesn't have such laws. The federal government can enact federal data privacy laws, which can force tech companies to be more protective of information as they will risk losing public opinion and money from damages. Tech companies should focus on security through cooperating with companies that specialize in security programs.
ReplyDeleteI believe that more states should start enacting data privacy laws because of the abuse of power big technology companies have shown, for example the Facebook data privacy scandal where about 87 million people had their personal information and data leaked and at the disposal of Cambridge Analytica. If this is happening with one of the biggest social media outlets in the United States, then it is obvious that more data privacy laws should be passed. I think these laws should be enforced by the federal government so that it is the same laws for everyone, instead of having some unfair advantages with different and maybe less strict laws in different states. A measure tech companies should take to prevent future data breaches from occurring is creating a greater emphasis on cyber security for every individual on their platform. More money should go into the security aspect and there should also be eyes watching the people that could possibly sell information to other organizations.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the laws surrounding the tech industry regarding privacy laws should be strengthened, or at least require transparency. Right now, there is a very large market for selling and buying user information to used for a variety of different purposes. Since media sites operate in all 50 states and additional territories, it would be best if there were strict laws at the federal level and state created more specific, niche laws. To prevent future security breaches from occurring, all companies should enact larger cyber security teams.
ReplyDeleteI think that the best action would be to create a federal law that sets privacy standards for tech companies. Although state laws are easier to pass, I believe that this lack of uniformity could lead to certain states being more susceptible than others to data breaches. If this is possible, then hackers could target certain states, whose cyber security laws are more lax, and manipulate the vote.
ReplyDeleteMore states should be enacting data privacy laws or making current laws stronger since a huge proportion of the population in the United States has access to the internet or has used some form of social media. Therefore, states should make it a priority to protect the users of the Internet instead of tech companies that are just trying to make profits. Important and confidential information can be shared over the Internet, so it is especially important to protect the safety of users first before companies. While all states should have some sort of data privacy laws in place, these laws can vary in degrees of strictness and the amount they are actually enforced. In order to make sure that data privacy laws are uniform throughout the entire country and to prevent tech companies from finding loopholes, it is necessary to also create a federal data privacy law that is more likely to be enforced than state laws.
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