The US Plans to Better Protect Children Online
In the present digital age, technology companies collect and use enormous amounts of data. Much of the data collection can happen without the knowledge or consent of the user, posing a significant threat to privacy and data security. As such, President Biden has outlined plans to better protect children's privacy online in response to these concerns. In addition, the U.S. government has found that the excessive use of social media and digital devices has been linked to a mental health crisis among children, leading to increased concerns about protecting them online.
Transparency and Algorithms
The Biden administration will require tech companies to be more transparent about the algorithms they use to collect and process data. For example, companies like Google and Facebook use algorithms to collect data on user behaviour, including what pages they visit, what content they interact with, and what ads they click on. By being more transparent about how these algorithms work, consumers will better understand how their data is collected and used to create a personalised online experience, allowing them to make informed decisions about online privacy.
Data Privacy
The plan also demands clear and strict limits on the ability to collect, use, transfer, and maintain personal data, especially for sensitive information such as geolocation and health details. Companies will bear the burden of minimising how much information they collect rather than this responsibility falling onto the consumers. For example, companies like Apple and Microsoft have implemented privacy features that allow users to control what data is collected and used. Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature requires apps to obtain users' permission before tracking their data across other apps and websites. Similarly, Microsoft's Privacy Dashboard also provides a centralized location for users to manage their privacy settings across all Microsoft services.
Working With Congress
The Biden administration plans to work with Congress to pass federal privacy legislation establishing a comprehensive data privacy and security framework. This legislation would provide a unified data collection, processing, and storage standard across industries and states.
Investing in Helpful Data Protection Technology
The plan is to invest in technology that can help protect children online, including tools that can identify and block harmful content and predators. This investment will also support the development of new artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that can detect and prevent online threats.
Increasing Digital Literacy and Awareness
The plan will also focus on increasing digital literacy and awareness among children and their families. It will promote online safety education and awareness campaigns, as well as support research into the impacts of technology on mental health and well-being.
It will also address the digital divide and ensure all children can access safe and secure online environments. It will prioritize the protection of vulnerable populations, including children with disabilities, low-income families, and communities of colour.
“By proposing these plans, the Biden administration will address the data privacy concerns that the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) Schrems II case raised, namely that the protection of personal data had limitations in the US due to domestic laws and EU personal data being at risk of being used by US government authorities. The plans, therefore, aim to rebuild trust and compatibility between the US and the EU on data privacy issues because cooperation between the two is crucial to protecting data privacy in the digital age.”
Charlotte Gerrish of Gerrish Legal
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