EPIC, Coalition Petition Congress to Pass Data Protection Legislation

January 4, 2022

EPIC and a coalition of civil rights groups have submitted a petition to Congress urging legislators to pass strong data protection legislation. The petition, led by Fight for the Future, follows recent testimony to Congress confirming that Facebook has long been aware of the harms its platforms cause. “Stopping these companies from amassing data by passing strong privacy laws that put people—not corporations—in control of our personal information will severely diminish these platforms’ harms,” the petition reads. The petition also urges the Federal Trade Commission to continue with a rulemaking “that prohibits companies from collecting, purchasing or otherwise acquiring user information beyond what is needed to provide the service requested by the user, and from using this information for another purpose or to transfer it to another company without the user’s explicit, opt-in consent.” The groups further urged Congress to use its subpoena power to hold Facebook accountable for its harmful practices. EPIC has long advocated for comprehensive federal privacy legislation and the creation of dedicated Data Protection Agency.

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