WASHINGTON, D.C. — Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released the following statement from Head of Public Policy Molly Crawford regarding the introduction of the SECURE Data Act (H.R. 8413) in Congress:

“We are encouraged by continued Congressional efforts to draft a federal privacy standard. State privacy laws are largely consistent on core consumer privacy protections, including the right to opt out of the sale of personal data and targeted advertising and to access, delete, and correct personal data. We support granting all consumers these robust rights.

Where state laws diverge materially, it becomes essential to identify and reconcile those differences to avoid consumer confusion about their rights and fragmentation that imposes compliance difficulties on businesses. Issues such as different state standards on data minimization, definitions of “sensitive data,” third-party disclosure lists, and the treatment of children’s and teens’ data have become touchpoints for businesses that pose ongoing implementation and operational challenges in compliance. A federal privacy law can remedy these challenges when coupled with a single national standard.

As we continue to review the SECURE Data Act, IAB will focus on ways to commend the legislation for what it does well and suggest improvements, where needed, to better ensure that meaningful privacy obligations follow consumers’ data throughout the digital advertising ecosystem. Those include clear due diligence standards so that businesses vet their partners before disclosing consumer data and robust third-party contracting requirements that extend privacy obligations throughout the ad ecosystem.

IAB supports strong consumer privacy protections and a strong ad-supported internet. Those goals are not in conflict. We stand ready to act as a constructive resource for any policymaker to ensure that any legislation ultimately enacted into law serves the needs of consumers and businesses and can be readily implemented by companies. Our top priority continues to be a strong, clear privacy framework that protects consumers while balancing innovation and the ad-supported internet.

We thank the House Energy and Commerce Committee and House Privacy Working Group for their work on this important effort and welcome the opportunity to be a constructive resource as lawmakers continue to work on federal privacy legislation.”

Media Contact
Brittany Tibaldi / Kate Tumino Dougherty
[email protected] / [email protected]
516-974-2216 / 551-265-2825