Moran unveils consumer data protection legislation

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) on March 12 proposed sweeping legislation to protect the privacy of consumers.

“We have witnessed unauthorized activities and security breaches from bad actors attempting to access and process consumers’ personal data and sensitive information in unfair and deceptive ways,” said Sen. Moran, chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection.

“Without action from Congress, consumers will continue to be vulnerable to future threats against their personal data, and innovators and job creators will be plagued with regulatory uncertainty resulting from a growing patchwork of state laws,” he added.

Sen. Moran sponsored the Consumer Data Privacy and Security Act, S. 3456, which would establish a clear federal standard for data privacy protection, giving businesses a uniform standard, according to a bill summary provided by the senator’s office, and provide consumers with control over their own data to access, correct and erase their personal data.

If enacted, the bill also would prohibit companies from collecting data without consumers’ consent with limited and specific exceptions; require businesses to develop and implement robust data security programs to protect personal data from unauthorized access and disclosure; and authorize the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to uniformly enforce federal consumer privacy protections, among other provisions, according to the summary.

“Americans need to be able to count on strong baseline responsibilities that businesses must uphold when collecting, processing and protecting their personally identifiable information,” said Sen. Moran. “While our economy has benefited from the use of data, these advancements should not be traded for an individual’s right to have control over their personal information.”

The bill has been referred to the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for consideration.

“I encourage my colleagues to support the Consumer Data Privacy and Security Act as the federal standard for comprehensive privacy legislation,” Sen. Moran said.