House subcommittee approves McMorris Rodgers’ SAFE WEB Act

A bipartisan bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) to extend the Undertaking Spam, Spyware, And Fraud Enforcement With Enforcers beyond Borders (U.S. SAFE WEB) Act of 2006 on Nov. 14 received voice vote approval by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.

“It is critical that we ensure people have the information they need and the protections they deserve when it comes to online activities,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers, ranking member of the subcommittee. “Knowing who you are dealing with online is fundamental for people to have trust in the internet.”

The congresswoman introduced H.R. 4779 on Oct. 22 with original cosponsors U.S. Reps. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) and Robin Kelly (D-IL) to reauthorize the powers of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to bolster cross-border cooperation on consumer protection investigations and fraud actions, among other provisions. Congress enacted the U.S. SAFE WEB Act in 2006 and reauthorized it in 2012 for the period through September 2020.

“The SAFE WEB Act makes sure the commission has the tools they need to protect people from international schemes that can ruin lives,” Rep. McMorris Rodgers said. “To win the future, it is critical that we — with our allies — have enforceable agreements to safely allow cross-border data flows.”

Such protections, she added, “will ensure our innovators can beat China, while also protecting people’s privacy from scams, spyware and attacks.”

“The internet knows no borders,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers. “Because of that, people need to trust that they are protected from online threats that originate in foreign countries.”

H.R. 4779 now advances to the full Energy and Commerce Committee for action.