FCC Chair Rosenworcel Announces Privacy and Data Protection Task Force

On June 14, FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel announced the formation of the Privacy and Data Protection Task Force at the Federal Communications Commission. The new staff working group will address data breaches, supply chain vulnerabilities, SIM swapping, protections for survivors of domestic violence, and responsibilities for privacy and data protection among telecom, interconnected VoIP, cable, and satellite providers.

“You could argue that the indispensable ingredient for our digital economy is trust,” the Commission wrote in its explanation of the Task Force. “It’s foundational. A Pew survey found that half of Americans have chosen not to use a product or service because of privacy concerns. And yet, in this always-online world, where technology and economic forces have created a marketplace where for a growing number of parties your data equals dollar signs, we simply have not done a good enough job of protecting the public. But we are now working to change that.”

EPIC regularly comments on regulations and testifies on policies to promote better data security practices that protect consumer data from unauthorized access and other misuse. EPIC continues to call on lawmakers across the country to take up the cause of establishing comprehensive privacy protections and to limit harmful data practices and impose data minimization standards.