On the heels of an abundance of data breach and data leak incidents, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today introduced the Privacy Bill of Rights Act, a new bill designed to protect the individual and collective privacy rights of American consumers.

The bill, tagged as S.1214 and described by Sen. Markey as being "comprehensive" was introduced into the Congress on April 11, 2019, and it was "read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation" as detailed on the bill's Actions page.

More to the point, Senator Markey’s Privacy Bill of Rights Act:

Prohibits companies from using individuals’ personal information in discriminatory ways

Requires companies to protect and secure the personal information that they hold

Establishes a centralized FTC website that tells consumers about their privacy rights and requires companies to use easy to read short-form notices provided directly to consumers

Ensures companies collect only the information they need from consumers in order to provide the requested services

Enables State Attorneys General to protect the interest of their residents and bring action against companies that violate the privacy rights of individuals. Individuals will also have a private right of action empowering them to defend their own privacy rights.

"America’s laws have failed to keep pace with the unprecedented use of consumers’ data and the consistent cadence of breaches and privacy invasions that plague our economy and society," said Senator Markey. "I have long advocated for privacy protections that include the principles of knowledge, notice and the right to say ‘no’ to companies that want our information."

"But it is increasingly clear that a true 21st-century comprehensive privacy bill must do more than simply enshrine notice and consent standards," continued Senator Markey. "That’s why my Privacy Bill of Rights Act puts discriminatory data uses out of bounds and tells companies that they can only collect the information that is necessary to provide the product or service requested by the consumer."

As explained in the official press release, the Privacy Bill of Rights Act introduced yesterday will establish privacy rules for both offline and online companies, and it will also ban "the use of individuals’ personal information for harmful, discriminatory purposes, such as housing and employment advertisements targeted based on demographics like race and gender."

The "Privacy Bill of Rights Act" bill is currently in the first stage of the legislative process and it will be sent on to the House or Senate as a whole after passing Committee. Additionally, to be signed by the President's and become law, the bill will also have to be passed by both the Senate and House in identical form.

Markey also introduced updates to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act

"This bill gives people meaningful rights and protections over how companies can obtain and use personal information," said Gaurav Laroia, Policy Counsel at Free Press Action. "It also prohibits companies from using private data to deny people opportunities in employment, finance, health care, credit, insurance, housing, or education based on characteristics like their race, gender or sexuality."

Also, "Ending these practices, and giving ordinary people the right to enforce these anti-discrimination rules, is necessary to ensuring that fairness, privacy, and civil rights flourish in the internet age."

During March, Senator Markey in collaboration with Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) also introduced legislation designed to update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), adding changes that would prohibit "internet companies from collecting personal and location information from anyone under 13 without parental consent and from anyone 13- to 15-years old without the user’s consent."