Security News > 2020 > February > Privacy Experts Skeptical of Proposed Data Protection Agency

A new federal bureaucracy, the Data Protection Agency, has been proposed to completely revamp how the U.S. government regulates data collection and misuse by big tech companies.

While privacy experts call the agency a "Good first step," they remain skeptical about how effective it would be once enforced.

The new agency, introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, would streamline data regulation efforts under one group, billed with enforcing data privacy and penalizing improper data collection or use.

Americans would be able to file complaints with the DPA regarding data privacy abuse, and the agency could then launch investigations into issues like inappropriate data collection, data misuse and more.

After Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal, the FTC slapped a $5 billion fine on the social media company for data privacy violations - a figure which, while it was the largest ever levied by the agency, was being derided as "Chump change" and ineffective by lawmakers and privacy analysts.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/privacy-experts-skeptical-of-proposed-data-protection-agency/152861/