SACRAMENTO – Silicon Valley tech firms are fighting a
California bill that would require companies like Facebook and Google to
disclose to users the personal data they have collected and with whoever they
have shared it, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The “Right to Know Act” bill was introduced in February by
Bonnie Lowenthal and is believed to be the first of its kind in the United
States. It would require Internet firms, upon request, to share with
Californians personal information they have collected, including buying habits
and sexual orientation, along with any third parties they have shared or sold
that data.
The bill updates a 10-year-old law that targeted the direct
marketing industry and if enacted, would bring the state’s privacy practices
closer to those common in Europe.
"In 2003, the biggest problem people had with privacy was telemarketing," Lowenthal said.
"Today, there are so many different mobile apps that can track location
and spending habits that it's time for an update in state law."
A coalition of businesses and trade groups wrote to
Lowenthal last month urging her to "not move forward" with a bill
that seeks to impose "costly and unrealistic mandates" that could
leave them vulnerable to lawsuits.
The proposed new California law would require Internet companies to disclose what
information they have shared with third parties, a critical and novel approach
to Internet privacy.
"There is real impact for
individuals when they don't know how their information is being collected and
when it is being shared in ways they don't want," said Nicole Ozer, a
policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of California, which
co-sponsored the bill.
Robert Callahan, director of state government affairs at
TechAmerica, said Web companies already seek to protect users' privacy. But
because websites sometimes gather personal information without attaching it to
a user's name, it would be nearly impossible for them to provide individuals
with the information this bill requires.
"The burden placed on
innovative Internet companies in California — would that outweigh the benefit
to consumers of having a deluge of amorphous information?" he said.