In 2019, Americans deserve to have more control over how their personal data is being collected and processed online. At present businesses enjoy a largely unchecked capacity to collect consumer data and do with it as they please. The magnitude of personal data being collected by businesses across the country is almost unfathomable and, many businesses have been grossly inadequate at securing that data and protecting it from falling into the wrong hands. This has led to a rash of large-scale data breaches and high-profile privacy scandals. If we want to prevent data leaks and privacy breaches from continuing to be a regular occurrence, then business leaders and government officials must take constructive steps. They must ensure companies are doing more to protect consumer data and provide customers with more control over how their personal information is collected and processed by the businesses they trust with their data.
Massive data breaches at large corporations like Google, Marriott, and Equifax, and privacy scandals including Cambridge Analytica have shed light on how consumer data privacy has been flagrantly mismanaged. These incidents affected millions of people and American consumers have little recourse in protecting themselves against such risks. Despite this, individuals are taking steps to protect their personal data online, and it is imperative that businesses and government entities step up and lead the charge for stronger consumer privacy in America.
Last May, the European Union enacted strict data protection regulations that give all Europeans the right to control what personal data companies collect from them and how that data is processed. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ensures that European consumers have the necessary rights to protect their personal information from being mishandled by companies they share their data with. Four of the fundamental consumer rights guaranteed by GDPR include the right for the consumer to access the data that a company collects from them in a clear and accessible format, the right to rectify any of the collected data if deemed by the consumer to be inaccurate, the right to have their data deleted from a company’s records, and the right to request that a company discontinue collecting data from them.
GDPR regulations give European consumers a powerful say in how businesses online handle their personal data. Individual states in the US have implemented similar legislation aimed at better protecting consumer data privacy rights, but the U.S. lacks a comprehensive set of federal laws that work to protect the online data of all Americans. California has recently approved strict GDPR-style data protection regulations for Californians and Vermont passed a law last spring that regulates data brokers. These laws are great for residents of California and Vermont but Americans who don’t live in these states are not protected by the regulations.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has proposed comprehensive federal data protection legislation to provide an easy to follow set of laws that protect all Americans, instead of having individual laws at only state level. Critics of the proposal are wary of affording a single government entity so much power and concerned that Senator Rubio’s federal regulations may undermine stricter state laws.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has also called for legislation at the federal level to protect Americans’ data. In an essay published in Time Magazine last week, Cook stated that he is in favor of a “landmark package of reforms that protect and empower the consumer," explaining that, “meaningful, comprehensive federal privacy legislation should not only aim to put consumers in control of their data, it should also shine a light on actors trafficking in your data behind the scenes.”
Americans themselves are also in favor of having more control over their online data. In a recent Pew Research Center study, 74 percent of survey participants responded that it is very important to them to be in control of their data. Additionally, 64 perccent support increased regulations for data privacy. The time for increased protection for consumer data is long overdue, and its high time consumers finally had control over how businesses collect and use their data online.
About the author: Attila began writing for BestVPN.com in 2018 after having been in the VPN industry for over 4 years. As an industry veteran, Attila has cultivated a deep understanding of how VPNs can help users unlock the internet and protect their privacy online. Attila is a staunch advocate for digital privacy and for a free and open internet, and various publications have asked him to provide expert comment on matters of digital privacy. Attila honed his writing and research skills at Union College in New York State, from where he graduated with degrees in Cultural Anthropology and American History. He followed that by completing his MBA degree at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. Prior to jumping into the VPN world and writing for BestVPN.com, he wrote market analysis reports for market intelligence and consultancy group in Budapest focusing on various business sectors within Central and Eastern Europe.
