{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-introduces-bill-to-protect-americans-data-from-big-tech-and-ai-companies/", "Gillibrand Introduces Bill To Protect Americans\u2019 Data From Big Tech And AI Companies", "2026-09-30", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Kirsten E. Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", "gillibrand", "https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) reintroduced the Data Protection Act. This legislation would create a new independent federal agency to protect Americans\u2019 data, ensure fair data practices, and help the government adapt to rapidly evolving digital technologies.\n\n\u201cAs AI continues to evolve, it is more important than ever that we take action to crack down on tech companies that misuse Americans\u2019 data,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cCurrently, Big Tech companies are free to sell individuals\u2019 data to the highest bidder without fear of real consequences, posing a severe threat to privacy and civil rights. My bill would create an independent federal agency to protect data and privacy, equipped with the resources to give Americans the meaningful protection they deserve.\u201d\n\nData privacy is a growing concern in the United States. In 2025 alone, more than 3,300 data breaches exposed over 278 million individuals\u2019 personal information. About 89 percent of Americans are concerned that their data is being accessed and used inappropriately.\n\nAdditionally, the U.S. is one of few democracies in the world that lacks a data protection agency. Senator Gillibrand\u2019s Data Protection Act would create such an agency, strengthening the federal government\u2019s ability to protect Americans\u2019 data and bringing the U.S. in line with peer nations.\n\nSpecifically, the Data Protection Act would:\n\nLimit the collection, use, and sharing of personal data;\n\nOversee high-risk data practices, ensure that data processing and algorithms are fair, and minimize the collection of data for commercial purposes;\n\nExamine the social, ethical, economic, and civil rights impacts of data collection practices;\n\nMaintain a publicly accessible list of data aggregators that collect, process, or share data;\n\nEnforce privacy statutes and rules as authorized by Congress, with a broad range of tools including civil penalties, injunctive relief, and equitable remedies;\n\nDevelop model privacy and data protection standards, guidelines, and policies for use by the private sector and government agencies, and;\n\nAdvise Congress on emerging privacy and technology issues.\n\nThis legislation is endorsed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Consumer Federation of America, Fairplay, Consumer Action, and National Association of Consumer Advocates.\n\n\u201cThe United States has been ensnared in a data privacy crisis for decades, and putting an end to it will take significant action from Congress,\u201d said Kara Williams, Counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. \u201cEPIC is proud to endorse Sen. Gillibrand\u2019s Data Protection Act, which would establish a federal data protection agency that would focus exclusively on protecting privacy\u2014a crucial first step to ending the mass overcollection and exploitation of Americans\u2019 personal data.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith an increase in surveillance of every corner of life online and off, the need for a strong and clear privacy law with teeth has never been more urgent,\u201d said Ben Winters, Director of AI and Privacy of the Consumer Federation of America. \u201cThe Data Protection Act is straightforward, administrable, and what we need right now.\u201d\n\n\u201cCommercial surveillance has become Silicon Valley\u2019s economic operating system, yet the United States is the only major industrialized country without a dedicated data protection agency to rein in harmful data practices,\u201d said Asad Ramzanali, Director of Artificial Intelligence & Technology Policy at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator. \u201cThis void leaves Americans exposed and the government underequipped to respond. We\u2019ve long needed a well-staffed watchdog with real authority to enforce privacy rights and hold companies accountable.\u201d\n\n\u201cConsumers need an agency that makes data protection its priority. Senator Gillibrand\u2019s plan to create a Data Protection Agency is the right step to ensure that companies use individuals\u2019 data fairly, responsibly and with accountability,\u201d said Ruth Susswein, Director of Consumer Protection at Consumer Action.\n\n\u201cData centers in the U.S. are vulnerable to attack, and as a country we need to do a much better job with data security. That\u2019s why the U.S. needs a data protection agency,\u201d said Bruce Schneier, Fellow and Lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School.\n\nThe full text of the Data Protection Act can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-10-01T11:23:28Z", "2026-10-01T11:25:15Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-introduces-bill-to-protect-americans-data-from-big-tech-and-ai-companies/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3399561867117882, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}