• Column Policy Politics America desperately needs new privacy laws Invasive government and corporate surveillance isn’t inevitable - but Congress needs to act. • Link Share Gift Column Policy Politics America desperately needs new privacy laws Invasive government and corporate surveillance isn’t inevitable - but Congress needs to act. • Link Share Gift This isThe Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. • For more on the dire state of tech regulation,follow Adi Robertson.The Stepbackarrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. • Opt in forThe Stepbackhere. • How it started In 1973, long before the modern digital era, the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) published a report called “Records, Computers, and the Rights of Citizens.” Networked computers seemed “destined to become the principal medium for making, storing, and using records about people,“the report’s foreword began.
Article Summaries:
- The newsletter argues that U.S. privacy protections are lagging behind rapid technological change. It traces the history from the 1973 HEW report and the 1974 Privacy Act to subsequent sector‑specific rules, noting that Congress has repeatedly failed to update or expand these laws amid growing digital surveillance by both government and private firms. Recent proposals-such as updates to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act-have stalled, leaving gaps in regulation of data collection and use. The piece cites current abuses, including facial‑recognition‑driven immigration enforcement, frequent data breaches, and new devices that enable pervasive monitoring, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive privacy legislation.
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