Europeans win privacy rights. What about us?
After years of online privacy violations, and decades of unregulated tech, there are finally protections in place for families and consumers, just not American ones. As of May 25, people in Europe have a number of important new online privacy rights with the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation, a powerful and thoughtful effort to provide more control over personal information.
California families also deserve the right to informed consent when it comes to their personal information: to see what data about them is being collected, shared or sold — and to delete, transfer or block the sale of that data if they desire. They deserve the right to control and access their data, including the ability to move it to another service. They deserve to know that their information is being kept secure.
How will the General Data Protection Regulation help European families? They win new rights to control how their personal information is collected and whether that data can be shared. Companies have new responsibilities to keep their data secure, and government has a clear role in enforcing the law, which means extracting real penalties when necessary. The European law is not perfect, but it’s a huge step toward recognizing that privacy is a fundamental human right that protects all people.
So why don’t families in the United States get the same rights? It’s certainly a concern: 84 percent of Americans are worried about privacy. The Facebook breach alone affected more than 87 million individuals, and showed how such enormous data breaches can harm our democracy.
Today’s young people are the most surveilled and tracked generation ever, meaning they are especially vulnerable. Kids are constantly under watch by advertisers and media companies looking for an edge. Their personal information, activities, hobbies and networks are exposed — and for sale — from birth. Today’s digital age offers kids opportunities to thrive, but at significant cost to their privacy.
There is a glaring lack of transparency, as well as inconsistent privacy and security practices, across the entire tech industry, but Big Tech is not a monolith. Not every tech company is beholden to an addriven bottom line that turns our kids’ clicks into dollars. There are many companies that lead with innovation, without harming our democracy with their business models. Put simply, it is high time that those companies step up and demand the privacy protections that Americans deserve.
California is the birthplace of the tech revolution, and should lead in creating reforms that protect consumers. There’s even a privacy initiative proposed for November’s ballot, but that measure won’t be enough to protect state residents from another Facebook and Cambridge Analytic a-style data breach. Instead, the Legislature should take preemptive action. Washington seems incapable of action, and pending initiatives don’t go far enough.
Because the European data regulations apply to any enterprise doing business in the region, many companies have systems in place that comply with those stronger privacy protections. This is California’s chance to lead the nation and enact strong, modern, pro-kid privacy protections that provide a regulatory system for all to follow. Common Sense Media exists to educate and advocate for families, so we have long fought for stronger student and children’s privacy laws. Now is a unique moment to win stronger privacy rights for every member of the family.
The parents and kids of California call on our Legislature to pass comprehensive, commonsense privacy reforms this year. Why wait? Companies are already making European kids and families safer online. Why should California, and the rest of America, settle for any less?