IDX's CEO Talks New Privacy Protection Laws with Morning Consult

Today, more than ever, consumers feel powerless to guard or maintain their data privacy. Research from Pew recently revealed that over 80% of Americans say they have very little or no control over their personal information, while 70% say they feel their data is less secure today than it was five years ago.

And with the alarming news of massive data breaches and social media scandals continuing to make headlines, Americans’ desire for control over their data is prompting them to demand action from U.S. legislators. Across both sides of the political aisle, research shows 79% of registered voters say that data privacy regulation must be a top priority for Congress in 2020.

Our president and CEO Tom Kelly recently shared his perspective in Morning Consult on some of the new data privacy laws Congress is crafting in response to this demand. For instance, Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell and Republican Senator Roger Wicker have both sponsored bills that propose sweeping data privacy regulations, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee has advanced its own bipartisan draft of data privacy legislation.

Kelly specifically highlights five fundamental data rights that must be protected to give Americans back control over their personal information, including:

• the right to transparency about who is collecting their data, where its going and what its being used for,
• the right to meaningful consent to share their data,
• the right to data deletion,
• the right to data portability, and
• the right to private action.

Read more of his perspective here.