On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up H.R. 8152, consumer  privacy legislation with bipartisan, bicameral support. The bill protects consumers against the misuse of private data and also includes civil rights protections against discriminatory algorithms which limit access to housing, employment, credit, and othe services. 

“Voters from both parties want Congress to pass greater privacy protections, and it’s great to see lawmakers listen by moving this legislation forward,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “This bill isn’t perfect and the debate isn’t over, but this legislation provides some pretty significant new protections for consumers.”

Kovacevich also referred to the need to protect reproductive health privacy from law enforcement requests, saying, “While this bill gives consumers more control over how companies collect and use their private data, it does not protect consumers against unwarranted surveillance of private data by law enforcement. Given the Dobbs decision, there’s a separate and urgent need to update surveillance laws to protect women’s privacy.” Chamber of Progress last week urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to change the DOJ’s position on the privacy of electronic communications data and content under the Fourth Amendment. 

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.