The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Google chief executive Sundar Pichai told a hearing in mid-December, “I’m of the opinion that we are better off with more of an overarching data protection framework for users, and I think that would be good to do.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook early this year called for federal privacy legislation, while assailing the “weaponized” used of private data that is bought and sold online.
Alan McQuinn, policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a Washington think tank, said that following the passage of a California privacy law, “the tech sector is now trying to get out in front of having segmented privacy rules.”
Yet details of any new privacy bill are likely to be complex, with battles looming on how far legislation should go.
McQuinn said there may be consensus on a need to boost transparency, consumer access and enforcement over misuse of personal data, but that many other issues are thorny.
He said there may be consensus on need for more transparency, data portability and consumer access and new enforcement mechanisms for abuse of private data.
But he maintained that GDPR has proven “incredibly burdensome” and caused some businesses to quit the EU or block their online presence.
“People don’t realize that legislation doesn’t just affect the internet giants, it affects your local grocery store and creates costs throughout the system,” McQuinn said.
The analyst said requiring “opt in” consent for any type of data could have unintended consequences — hurting innovation and strengthening the biggest firms that have the resources to comply.
One possible solution is to create “tiers” of data categories requiring opt-in consent only for the most sensitive categories.
Despite broad agreement on the need for privacy rules, McQuinn said a divided government and hyperpartisan political environment will mean “this will be a difficult process.”
