Castor Introduces Legislation to Protect American Privacy Amidst FISA Bill Troubles

Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) has introduced two bills and endorsed another regarding American data and its privacy. The congresswoman announced these pieces of legislation a day before she voted against the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act's (FISA) Section 702 bill which was killed by 19 Republicans.

The final tally was 228 votes against and 193 votes in favor.

Rep. Castor introduced the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), a bipartisan effort aimed at strengthening protections concerning online data collection as well as the “use and disclosure of personal information of children and minors up to age 16,” according to the Florida congresswoman. The bill would also “ban harmful targeted advertising and prompt Big Tech platforms to provide young people and parents with the tools needed to navigate the online world.”

COPPA 2.0 was also introduced by Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI).

Furthermore, Rep. Castor provided a statement regarding her support of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), another bill she introduced alongside Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL).

“Addressing youth data privacy is critical, but more action is needed to counter the unscrupulous ways tech platforms addict children and steal their attention,” said Castor. “That’s why I am championing the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) to provide young people and parents with the tools, safeguards, and transparency needed to keep children and teenagers safe online and hold Big Tech companies accountable. KOSA outlaws online practices such as manipulative marketing, amplification of harmful content, and damaging design features that threaten young people online.”

Finally, Castor is “encouraged” by the progress of the bipartisan American Privacy Rights Act.

“I am encouraged that leaders in Congress are taking action with the release of the bicameral, bipartisan American Privacy Rights Act discussion draft to address comprehensive data privacy reform,” said Castor. “The proposed text minimizes the data that companies can collect and use, provides stronger protections for sensitive data and allows Americans to access or delete their data.

“For too long, Big Tech companies and data brokers have operated with few checks, constantly surveilling and aggregating our personal and private information for profit. I look forward to working to ensure that we prioritize and maximize protections for our nation’s youth in any comprehensive privacy legislation,” said Castor.

The Florida congresswoman represents Florida’s 14^th District.