Democratic senator Maria Cantwell and Republican representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers lobbied for a proposal that aims to protect consumers' rights and set new rules for tech companies.
The proposal targets to implement new rules for tech companies that have been collecting and using personal information to boost their operations.
U.S. Lawmakers Lobby the American Privacy Rights Act
In a one-page outline released on Sunday, the bill by Cantwell and McMorris Rodgers detailed the premise of strengthening rules on getting consumer content before a company will be allowed to gather certain kinds of information.
"It reins in big tech by prohibiting them from tracking, predicting, and manipulating people's behaviors for profit without their knowledge and consent. Americans overwhelmingly want these rights, and they are looking to us, their elected representatives, to act," McMorris Rodgers wrote in an X post.
The comprehensive draft legislation would set clear national data privacy rights and protections for American consumers. In addition, it will also work on giving people the right to control their personal information, especially on the internet.
American Privacy Rights Act Calls for National Data Privacy, Security
The proposal suggested that companies must ensure that any algorithms that will be used to analyze personal data are not biased. Moreover, companies who are openly buying and selling personal data must register first with the Federal Trade Commission.
The drafted legislation holds a unique provision that would allow consumers to opt out of targeted advertisements on their accounts. Target ads are often used by tech companies to encourage the shopping habits of consumers by showing them items based on their personal data.
"Americans deserve the right to control their data and we're hopeful that our colleagues in the House and Senate will join us in getting this legislation signed into law," the lawmakers wrote in a press release.
