Senators propose bill to control social media with privacy requirements

The US Senate is trying to combat the complex world of social media privacy with new legislation that facilitates users' experience in these sites. This would mean users being able to opt out of tracking, simplified terms and conditions and a required announcement of data breaches from platforms within 72 hours.

The Social Media Privacy and Consumers Rights Act was introduced this Tuesday by Senators John Kennedy and Amy Klobuchar. “Every day companies profit off of the data they're collecting from Americans, yet leave consumers completely in the dark about how their personal information, online behavior, and private messages are being used,” Klobuchar mentioned in a statement.

“Consumers should have the right to control their personal data and that means allowing them to opt out of having their data collected and tracked and alerting them within 72 hours when a privacy violation occurs and their personal information may be compromised. The digital space can't keep operating like the Wild West at the expense of our privacy.”

The passing of this legislation could mean better protection of online data and privacy. It is a bi-partisan bill that strives for transparency with regard to social media giants' handling of users' data, making it simpler for people to protect themselves and be protected if a privacy breach were to happen.

This is the second potential legislation to come out of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's recent scandal and hearing with the Senate. On the same day of his testimony earlier in April, the CONSENT act (Customer, Online Notification for Stopping Edge-provider Network Transgressions) came to life. CONSENT is a bill proposing the demand of opt-in permission rather than the standard opt-out option that is never made clear to users.