Democrats propose new federal agency to fight back against tech privacy scandals
Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
After months of criticizing regulators for going easy on Big Tech, a pair of Democratic lawmakers announced new legislation that would create an entirely new federal agency with the authority to regulate the industry.
Among other provisions, the Online Privacy Act, sponsored by Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), would create the Digital Privacy Agency, or DPA. That agency would be empowered with the ability to issue regulations and enforce the privacy rules imposed by the legislation. The agency would be funded to employ 1,600 officials, making it about the same size as the Federal Communications Commission. Currently, the Federal Trade Commission broadly regulates privacy and employs only a few dozen people dedicated to...