Google thinks it’s figured out the right way for Congress to regulate online privacy. This week the company’s representatives will make their case before the Senate.
In short, Google is supporting federal rules that it believes it can handle, and is not supporting federal rules that would impose significant new costs on Google.
Google’s âFramework for Responsible Data Protection Regulationâ comes as representatives from Google, Amazon, Apple, AT&T, and other companies prepare for a Wednesday Senate hearing on data privacy. How that plays out, and how well companies like Google present their plans, will set the baseline for what American Internet users can expect online.
The hearing on privacy, the latest round of marquee meetings between lawmakers and tech executives, comes as data privacy and the other issues it encompasses, like how Cambridge Analytica was able to access user data, have increasingly drawn public attention.
[Also read: 13 state reps to meet with Justice Department on antitrust action against social media giants]
Google does appear to be on board with increased privacy protections â but on its terms.
Nothing outlined in its framework, including giving users greater access to and control over their data, would be out of reach for Google. Google hopes that getting regulated will regain some lost public trust.
What Google doesnât want, though, are laws that will either significantly impact its business model or jeopardize the way that information flows in its searches. For example, it wouldnât want regulations that mandate user data be stored in their home country rather that warehoused abroad where it is likely cheaper but less secure. Google also likely doesnât want European-style privacy laws, such as the âright to be forgotten.â Additionally, Google wants these laws to be hammered out in Washington to avoid a patchwork of state regulations that would be difficult to comply with.
For users, these questions and likely points of conflict in the hearing and subsequent legislation could have a serious impact on how information is stored, shared and shows up online â and the ability of companies, like Google, who operate based on ads driven by consumer data, to offer services for free.
Although Google is not the only player and will not be the only voice at the hearing, what lawmakers take issue with in its model will likely apply across the board and set the standard for future developments.
In short, just about everyone should pay a lot more attention to how the future of the Internet is being shaped by privacy regulations. And, for their part, the senators questioning these executives must set aside some of the Brett Kavanaugh circus to focus on, well, actually crafting well thought-out and informed legislation.
