FTC Plans To Take Public Input When Drafting New Rules To End Data Surveillance

The issues related to data surveillance are ones that have been spoken about quite frequently in the digital world. But despite the great amount of awareness reached, regulatory bodies are still having trouble curbing the matter.

Now, the FTC is planning on taking a new step that it believes can bring about fruitful results. These steps are related to a fixed set of federal privacy regulations that are designed to put an end to data surveillance.

For years, apps have been guilty of swiping away data protection rights belonging to users through their invasive practices linked to collecting data.

Today, we heard about how the agency is making amendments regarding how it plans to draft out its rules to crack down against harmful data collection and surveillance practices that have been a norm in the industry.

The FTC wants to know if the time has come to put out more stringent policies related to how data gets collected, protected, compiled, used, critiqued, and what measures are used for its retention.

Meanwhile, other areas of FTC’s interest have to do with how data is shared, made money from, and sold off to other organizations to gain benefits. This is what it feels is beyond deceptive and unfair to users.

We recently heard the FTC’s chairperson announce how such moves are unlawful but they’re still being carried out as we speak. Remember, all types of firms are involved in the activity of extracting users’ data, and using them without any consent or prior knowledge being given is a crime.

The FTC Chair also shed light on how one of the biggest concerns related to this matter is how the US lacks a proper data privacy and protection law on a federal basis. For this reason, the FTC was left with no choice but to carry out a crackdown against those it found to be guilty of such practices.

But the FTC has been slow as they function on a case-by-case maneuver, making use of any regulations that currently exist.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the FTC was recently seen highlighting how the FTC has its hands tied in terms of how much it can do to intervene. They lack the high authority needed to let out financial penalties for any violations conducted against the FTC’s rules.

For this reason, it wants to introduce new rules that it feels could be more transparent and fulfill all requirements put out by regulatory boards. Similarly, it wants rules that give it the authority to punish offenders with relevant penalties when they indulge in violations for the first time. This would help deter them from doing the same again, putting an end to such practices.

The FTC adds how its goal has always been related to attacking systemic causes that in the end, leave the industry with no choice but to give in and comply.

For now, there is no public unveiling of how the rules will appear and whether or not they end up protecting consumers. Also, it might be years before we see them come into play. But it’s still a great start.

Illustration by Vectorjuice/freepik
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