Privacy is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Lawmakers are discussing how to legislate it, big tech is desperate to show they care about it, and everyday people are looking for tools and tips to help them reclaim it.

That’s why today, we are publishing our blueprint for strong federal privacy legislation in the United States. Our goals are straightforward: put people back in control of their data; establish clear, effective, and enforceable rules for those using that data; and move towards greater global alignment on governing data and the role of the internet in our lives.

For Mozilla, privacy is not optional. It’s fundamental to who we are and the work we do. It’s also fundamental to the health of the internet. Without privacy protections, we cannot trust the internet as a safe place to explore, transact, connect, and create. But thanks to a rising tide of abusive privacy practices and data breaches, trust in the internet is at an all time low.

We’ve reached this point because data practices and public policies have failed. Data has helped spur remarkable innovation and new products, but the long-standing ‘notice-and-consent’ approach to privacy has served people poorly. And the lack of truly meaningful safeguards and user protections have led to our social, financial and even political information being misused and manipulated without our understanding.

What’s needed to combat this is strong privacy legislation in the U.S. that codifies real protections for consumers and ensures more accountability from companies.

While we have seen positive movements on privacy and data protection around the globe, the United States has fallen behind. But this conversation about the problematic data practices of some companies has sparked promising interest in Congress.

Our framework spells out specifically what that law needs to accomplish. It must establish strong rights for people, rights that provide meaningful protection; it must provide clear rules for companies to limit how data is collected and used; and it must empower enforcement with clear authority and effective processes and remedies.

Clear rules for companies

• Purposeful and limited collection and use – end the era of blanket collection and use, including collecting data for one purpose and then using it for another, by adopting clear rules for purposeful and limited collection and use of personal data.
• Security – ensure that our data is carefully maintained and secured, and provide clear expectations around inactive accounts.

Strong rights for people

• Access – we must be able to view the information that has been collected or generated about us, and know how it’s being used.
• Delete – we should be able to delete our data when reasonable, and we should understand the policies and practices around our data if our accounts and services become inactive.
• Granular, revocable consent – stop the practice of generic consent to data collection and use; limit consents to apply to specific collection and use practices, and allow them to be revoked.

Empowered enforcement

• Clear mandate – empower the Federal Trade Commission with a strong authority and resources to keep up with advances in technology and evolving threats to privacy.
• Civil penalties – streamline and strengthen the FTC’s enforcement through direct civil investigation and penalty authority, without the need for time- and resource-intensive litigation.
• Rulemaking authority – empower the FTC to set proactive obligations to secure personal information and limits on the use of personal data in ways that may harm users.

We need real action to pass smart, strong privacy legislation that codifies real protections for consumers while preserving innovation. And we need it now, more than ever.

Mozilla U.S. Consumer Privacy Bill Blueprint 4.4.19

 

 

Photo by Louis Velazquez on Unsplash

The post A Path Forward: Rights and Rules to Protect Privacy in the United States appeared first on Open Policy & Advocacy.

https://blog.mozilla.org/netpolicy/2019/04/04/a-path-forward-rights-and-rules-to-protect-privacy-in-the-united-states/