Intel has proposed legislation that would effectively improve the protection of personal data. The US chipmaker has urged the Senate and House of Representatives to enact nationwide standards governing data collection.
Growing concerns regarding data
The importance of data privacy became apparent when the Cambridge Analytica scandal disrupted the tech sector earlier this year. As a result, there appears to be more concerns regarding the protection of personal data than ever. The human data marketplace is worth approximately $150 billion to $200 billion per year. The exploitative nature of this market and the 2018 data scandal has sparked discussion amongst users, tech giants, and governments. “The collection of personal information is a growing concern," David Hoffman, Intel associate general counsel and global privacy officer said. "The US needs a privacy law that both protects consumer privacy and creates a framework in which important new industries can prosper," he added. Intel described the proposed bill as an "ethical and innovative" privacy law. In an online summary, it also said that the law should parallel the "country's ethos of freedom, innovation and entrepreneurship." Above all, the law intends to protect individuals and enable the ethical use of data. Intel also noted that the ethical use of data is critical when this data used to train AI algorithms to detect bias and improve cyber security.
The structure of the bill
The legislation uses the Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs) from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) guidelines. In Intel's proposal, eight FIPPs work in concert with one another to allow for data use while protecting individuals. Collection limitation is the first FIPP, which encourages companies to create new mechanisms for individuals to provide meaningful consent for data use. Data quality is also important as it will be used to train AI algorithms. Purpose specification is the third FIPP, and ensures that organisations state their purposes for collecting and processing data. Use limitation also requires organisations to control the uses of data from the entities to which it transfers this data. Security safeguards requires organisations to adopt reasonable methods to protect data. Openness is also integral when it comes to drafting and publishing a privacy policy. Individual participation is also critical when it comes to users having the ability to object to organisations using their data. Finally, accountability encourages companies to implement robust privacy policies to decrease data misuse and security breaches.
The enforcement of the bill
According to Intel, "robust, harmonised and predictable enforcement" is necessary. The proposal aims to bring together policymakers, experts and individual users to discuss the possibility of a comprehensive federal privacy law. In an effort to encourage debate, Intel has launched a website where users can review and discuss the proposal. You can join the conversation here.
Take a look at the Top 10 women changing the landscape of data in 2018
