Republicans push federal consumer data privacy bills amid concerns over state protections
Republicans push federal consumer data privacy bills amid concerns over state protections
Publish Date: 2026-05-19 16:53:00
Source Domain: www.dailyfly.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republicans have introduced legislation that would enact nationwide consumer data protections, but experts disagree on whether the proposed federal standard would actually protect Americans’ online privacy.
Under the SECURE Data Act and the GUARD Financial Data Act, companies would have to inform American users of data collection, sharing, and use; provide an option to delete or request a copy of personal data; and, in theory, allow consumers to opt-out of targeted advertising.
Supporters of the bills say the existing patchwork of state laws “create uncertainty for businesses and leave consumers without uniform protections” and that the two bills will “empower businesses to grow responsibly while safeguarding the rights of Americans,” as Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., recently argued.
Yet two of the three experts in data privacy and electronic security who spoke with The Center Square believe the bills will actually undermine millions of Americans’ data privacy rights, rather than meaningfully safeguard them.
Caitriona Fitzgerald, deputy director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, called the legislation “privacy bills in name only.”
“They allow companies to continue collecting and using our personal data however they please, as long as they tell us what they’re doing in a privacy policy that no one reads. And even if they read it, they don’t have a meaningful choice,” Fitzgerald told The Center Square.
“Technology is such an integral part of our lives now that it’s not a meaningful privacy protection to have companies be able to dictate the terms in a privacy policy, then force us to take it or leave it.”
Most of the protective standards that the bills would enact, if not already standard industry practice, include exemptions and language loopholes.
For instance, the secure data act includes language that appears to restrict companies from using automotive technology to create highly-detailed…
