Congress has been on quite the internet regulation kick. And although most legislators haven’t the foggiest idea of how the internet actually works, there is a bipartisan consensus that ignorance shouldn’t preclude action. Bills like the American Innovation and Choice Online Act would stifle innovation and choice online and, along with the Open App Markets Act, jeopardize user security.
Two less-publicized — yet deeply problematic — pieces of proposed legislation are the SHOP SAFE Act and the INFORM Act. While the two bills have different foci, both compel internet platforms to collect incredibly sensitive user data. True to Congressional form, these proposals are thoughtlessly written and would threaten our privacy and data security.
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