House Commerce Members: Kids Privacy Tweaks Not Enough

Tweaking current children’s privacy law won’t adequately protect young internet users so Congress must pass a comprehensive federal privacy law, House Commerce Committee members said during a House Innovation Subcommittee hearing Thursday. Witnesses told the panel the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and FTC rules can’t make up for what’s lacking without a federal privacy law. Child safety legislation must be rooted in a comprehensive national standard, said House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. She said the FTC should be the preeminent data protection regulator in the world but only at the direction of Congress, voicing her disapproval of the agency “going its own way” through a privacy rulemaking effort. FTC Chair Lina Khan recently told committee members the agency would defer to Congress if legislators pass a federal law (see 2304180077). Ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., agreed with Rodgers, saying protecting children will require passing a federal privacy law. House Innovation Subcommittee Chairman Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., asked witnesses why COPPA doesn’t go far enough in protecting children’s privacy. Salesforce Global Privacy Head Edward Britan noted COPPA doesn’t extend to children older than the age of 13 and said it’s difficult to identify young users using age-verification methods. COPPA applies only to data collected from kids’ online activity, which would surprise most parents, said Public Interest Privacy Center President Amelia Vance. The FTC can’t provide the preemption needed for small businesses to manage compliance, said ACT|The App Association President Morgan Reed, noting 289 privacy bills are being considered at the state level. Congress is the only body that can provide clear privacy rules across the board for companies, he said.