Privacy bill proposed in response to Facebook data breach
Advocacy group US PIRG recommends a bill to protect consumer rights amid Facebook's Cambridge Analytica breach.
Public interest advocacy group US PIRG on Monday proposed a privacy bill in light of Facebook's potential misuse of user data.
After data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica got access to as many as 87 million Facebook profiles, the social networking site has come under political and legal scrutiny. It has since banned Cambridge Analytica, as well as two other firms -- CubeYou and AggregateIQ -- for possible improper use of user information.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear before the Senate's Judiciary and Commerce Committees on Tuesday. He will also testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday. Congress has already released Zuckerberg's prepared testimony ahead of the Wednesday hearing.
"What we need to come out of these hearings is action by Congress," said Mike Litt, US PIRG consumer campaign director in a statement. "Our privacy should not be at the mercy of company policy that can change at any time. The Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal shows exactly why we need guaranteed rights to privacy."
US PIRG specifically wants Congress to take a look at the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy law for guidance. Slated to go into effect in May, the GDPR should provide citizens of EU countries increased control over their own data and a better understanding of how it could be used, according to US PIRG.
Facebook declined to comment on this story.
