Today a group of Republican senators announced plans to introduce the COVID-19 Consumer Data Protection Act.
The legislation would provide all Americans with more transparency, choice, and control over the collection and use of their personal health, geolocation, and proximity data. The bill would also hold businesses accountable to consumers if they use personal data to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
A good move, I think. We need thoughtful legislation passed to preempt the contact tracing train.
Check It Out: Senators Introduce COVID-19 Consumer Data Protection Act
It’s not clear that this is really a good thing. In particular, the bill contains a preemption clause that some claim would invalidate stronger FCC and state privacy laws. It also doesn’t appear to cover law enforcement or federal agencies and it doesn’t include any resources for enforcement.
See
https://www.law360.com/articles/1269228/sens-float-privacy-bill-to-protect-data-in-covid-19-era