Mr. Khanna noted that this requirement must be fulfilled in a way that is not onerous — consumers shouldn’t have to click on something affirming their consent every time data is collected, for example. “If you have to click on something 50 times, it kind of defeats the purpose,” he said.

The third principle moves into a dicier area: the right “to obtain, correct, or delete personal data controlled by any company.” In Europe, this idea has manifested as the controversial “right to be forgotten” laws, which wouldn’t fly here. Because of First Amendment issues, and also to prevent anyone from removing information that is merely critical, Mr. Khanna added a caveat that covers a lot of sins: “where context appropriate and with a fair process.”

And so on down the list: The fourth centers on timely notifications in the case of breaches. The fifth would give consumers the right to move their data (called data portability). The sixth calls for making net neutrality a law rather than a regulation that gets Ping-Ponged every time a new administration takes office. The seventh would hinder big internet access providers like AT&T and Verizon from collecting more data than is necessary for the rendering of services. The eighth addresses fostering competition. The ninth would protect consumers from being “unfairly discriminated against or exploited based on your personal data.” And the tenth would demand that companies that collect personal data practice “reasonable business practices and accountability to protect your privacy.”

You could call that last one the Equifax/Facebook/Yahoo conundrum: How do we protect consumers from endless data incursions and hacking by bad actors while also getting all the benefits of a fully networked society?

It’s an admirable list, but I suspect that if Democrats try to turn these principles into law, it will be like pushing back the ocean, especially since the business models of many of these companies are predicated on sucking up as much data as they can and exploiting it for gain. The consumer is the product — as much as insiders at companies like Facebook scoff at the idea.

Mr. Khanna said he gets that it will be a slow road, and it will definitely require bipartisan support.

“This is a 15-year fight, but I do not think tech is immediately primed against it and Congress is more willing to be strong on regulation,” he told me. “Tech is amoral — it is great in many ways but not as great in others, and they need to now spend the next 10 years thinking about how they shape that tech for public good.”