The Center for Democracy & Technology's Vice President of Policy, Samir Jain, delivered testimony before the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee on the topic of "Legislative Solutions to Protect Kids Online and Ensure Americans’ Data Privacy Rights" on April 17, 2024. Jain emphasized the importance of safeguarding data privacy and children online while urging Congress to enact a comprehensive federal privacy law.
Jain expressed gratitude to the committee members, stating, "Thank you Chair Bilirakis, Ranking Member Schakowsky, and Chair McMorris Rodgers and Ranking Member Pallone of the full committee, for the opportunity to testify today on the importance of protecting data privacy and kids online, and the urgent need for Congress to finally pass a meaningful federal privacy law to protect individuals, create certainty for businesses, and restore trust in the online ecosystem."
Identifying himself as the Vice President of Policy for the Center for Democracy & Technology, Jain highlighted the organization's longstanding advocacy efforts, saying, "For almost three decades, CDT has advocated for Congress to adopt strong privacy protections." He underscored the necessity for a federal privacy law, pointing out the extensive evidence gathered through numerous Congressional hearings supporting the need for such legislation.
Jain commended the committee's bipartisan collaboration in addressing data privacy issues, noting, "This Committee in particular has, to its great credit, done prodigious work on a bipartisan basis both to define the contours of the problem and to develop constructive solutions." He referenced past legislative efforts, including the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, as a foundation for the ongoing discussions on the American Privacy Rights Act, which he described as a chance to advance federal privacy regulations.
The testimony by Samir Jain encapsulated the Center for Democracy & Technology's commitment to advocating for robust data privacy measures and emphasized the significance of legislative action to ensure online protection for individuals and children.
