Data privacy

As data breaches become more frequent and we learn more about the Cambridge Analytica leak, it’s clear that protecting users’ online information is a time-sensitive challenge that must be addressed quickly.

The past several weeks have made clear that people want more information about how Facebook works and the controls they have over their information. And today at F8, we’re sharing some of the first steps we’re taking to better protect people’s privacy.

While tech giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google offer ever-expanding portfolios of no-cost services, consumers are paying with increasingly detailed levels of personal data. Often, consumers are not fully aware just how much of their information is collected and how it is being used.

When I became the Chairman of House Energy and Commerce Committee, I made it clear that our top priority as a committee is to put consumers first.

For better or worse, social media platforms like Facebook connect people and spread information faster than ever. In the process, they collect huge amounts of personal data.

Data privacy concerns highlight growing challenges related to technology’s increasing influence in our lives. But this rapidly growing sector faces a big threat from Washington’s practice of over-regulating.

The collection of personal information has become broader and more threatening than anyone could have imagined. Our research finds traditional approaches to safeguarding privacy are stretched to the limit as thousands of data points are collected about us every day and maintained indefinitely by a host of technology platforms.

A new European privacy law will soon give consumers more control over their data. Is it time for Congress to do the same?

Big tech is a blessing — a major success story of the American economy. Many tech giants give away their products to consumers for free. Amazon might be pushing down the rate of inflation for the entire economy.

Last month, Facebook’s CEO testified before Congress, surfacing the need for comprehensive privacy legislation. U.S. privacy regulations have stalled under the Trump administration, whose leadership has already rescinded many of the Obama-era rules that were crafted to respond to massive data breaches.

A new, exclusive poll for Axios by SurveyMonkey found that Facebook’s favorability has plunged in the last five months. In the Axios/SurveyMonkey poll comparing views in October with last week, Facebook’s already low net favorability dropped twice as much as the other tech giants.

Daily news about data breaches, ransomware and phishing attacks are leaving us unsure about our engagements online. These developments highlight that existing approaches to cybersecurity are insufficient in the connected economy.

For nearly a decade, experts have highlighted the need for an international Geneva Conventions for cyberspace. With recent breaches, it has become clear that the problem is urgent and growing.

The recent privacy scandal surrounding Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data during the 2016 election highlights a major shortcoming in U.S. privacy law.

Unlike other developed countries, the U.S. lacks comprehensive privacy regulation, except for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). COPPA governs data collection from children under 13.