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U.S. NEWS Friday 12 august 2022
FTC looking at rules to corral tech firms’ data collection

By MARCY GORDON penalties for initial violations
AP Business Writer of law. That could change
WASHINGTON (AP) — if the comprehensive priva-
Whether it’s the fitness cy legislation were to clear
tracker on your wrist, the Congress.
“smart” home appliances “Firms now collect personal
in your house or the lat- data on individuals at a
est kids’ fad going viral in massive scale and in a stun-
online videos, they all pro- ning array of contexts,” FTC
duce a trove of personal Chair Lina Khan said in an
data for big tech compa- online news conference.
nies. “Our goal today is to be-
How that data is being gin building a robust public
used and protected has record to inform whether
led to growing public con- the FTC should issue rules
cern and officials’ outrage. to address commercial sur-
And now federal regulators veillance and data security
are looking at drafting rules practices, and what those
to crack down on what rules should potentially look
they call harmful commer- like.”
cial surveillance and lax “We are very, very eager to
data security. hear from the public,” Khan
The Federal Trade Commis- Lina Khan, then-nominee for Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), speaks during said.
sion announced the initia- a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation confirmation hearing on Capitol Topics of interest could in-
tive Thursday, seeking pub- Hill in Washington, April 21, 2021. Associated Press clude how companies use
lic comment on the effects algorithms and automated
of companies’ data collec- its closest point ever to pas- wake of suicides and other dreds of enforcement ac- systems to analyze the in-
tion and the potential ben- sage. harms to teens attributed tions against companies formation they collect, and
efit of new rules to protect Around the country, par- by their parents to their us- over the last two decades the potential effects of vari-
consumers’ privacy. ents’ concern has deep- age of the platforms. for violations of privacy ous data practices.
The FTC defines commer- ened over the impact of The Democratic members and data security. They in- Khan, who was an outspo-
cial surveillance as “the social media on children. of the FTC said Thursday it’s cluded cases involving the ken critic of Big Tech as a
business of collecting, ana- Frances Haugen, a former imperative for Congress to sharing of health-related law professor, was appoint-
lyzing and profiting from in- Facebook data scientist, pass a new law, but that data with third parties, the ed by President Joe Biden
formation about people.” stunned Congress and the the agency was taking ac- collection and sharing of last year to head the FTC
In Congress, bipartisan public last fall when she ex- tion in the meantime by sensitive TV viewing data — an independent agency
condemnation of the data posed internal company issuing the notice of pro- for targeted advertising, that polices competition
power of Meta — the par- research showing apparent posed rules. and failure to put in ade- and consumer protection
ent of Facebook and In- serious harm to some teens “Mass surveillance has quate security measures to as well as digital privacy.
stagram — Google and from Instagram. Those rev- heightened the risks and protect sensitive data such The rulemaking proposal
other tech giants that have elations were followed by stakes of data breaches, as Social Security numbers. was adopted in a 3-2 vote
earned riches by aggre- senators grilling execu- deception, manipulation However, the officials said, by the five FTC commission-
gating consumer informa- tives from YouTube, TikTok and other abuses,” the FTC the FTC’s ability to deter il- ers. Khan and the other two
tion used by online adver- and Snapchat about what said.. legal conduct is limited Democrats voted to issue it,
tisers, has brought national they’re doing to ensure Agency officials noted that because it generally lacks while the two Republicans
data privacy legislation to young users’ safety in the the FTC has brought hun- authority to seek financial opposed it.q

Breyer, Gorsuch join to promote

education about Constitution

By MARK SHERMAN men for civics education as the court has issued a
Associated Press and civility in politics. string of conservative-driv-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Re- The justices’ decision to en decisions topped by
cently retired Supreme work together “is especially eliminating the constitu-
Court Justice Stephen Brey- meaningful in this polar- tional right to abortion and
er has become the honor- ized time,” Jeffrey Rosen, overturning Roe v. Wade.
ary co-chairman of a non- the center’s president and In recent months, the court
partisan group devoted CEO, said. with six Republican-ap-
to education about the The 84-year-old Breyer re- pointed conservatives and
Constitution, joining Justice tired at the end of June three liberals appointed Then-Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer speaks during an
Neil Gorsuch at a time of in- after nearly 28 years as a by Democrats also has ex- event at the Library of Congress for the 2022 Supreme Court
tense political polarization justice. His seat was taken panded gun rights, weak- Fellows Program hosted by the Law Library of Congress, Feb. 17,
and rising skepticism about by Justice Ketanji Brown ened the separation of 2022, in Washington.
the court’s independence. Jackson, the high court’s church and state and con- Associated Press
The National Constitution first Black woman. strained the Biden adminis- ity of all those cases and highlight the term that be-
Center in Philadelphia said Breyer has been a constant tration’s efforts to combat Breyer, in dissent. gins in October and seem
Thursday that Breyer and voice for seeing the court climate change and the Challenges to affirmative likely to produce more
Gorsuch, who has served as something other than coronavirus pandemic. action in education and sharp splits along ideologi-
since 2019, will be spokes- “politicians in robes” even Gorsuch was in the major- key election-related cases cal lines. q