If there is something human beings know fairly well, it’s how to manufacture opportunities. We can create them in huge volumes, as well as differing in nature. This ability allows us the control to pace our growth, therefore giving every individual an equal chance to construct their trajectory. Now, while there is no doubt whatsoever about the important of having such a luxury, it does come with its own catches, and they can be more devastating than you think. You see, the world’s moral scale is a one volatile thing. It can swing in any direction without much warning, and at times, these directions talk to an idea of placing our self-interests over everything else. The consequences that emerge from making a call this severe, more often than not, leave an indelible mark on others; hence, in order to inspire a safer environment for everyone, we would bring dedicated regulatory bodies into the fold. In hindsight, we can deem the idea a success, but is that really the case? Right from the get-go, regulatory industry has had to navigate through some really major problems, including unethical data handling. Collecting personal information has become largely a norm in what is a tech-dominant era. However, it isn’t always done with right intentions. After witnessing an overwhelming number of cases around data misuse, FTC is now finally set to lead a fight back..
Federal Trade Commission is reportedly formulating new rules regarding the way US businesses can use data and algorithms. In a letter to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, FTC Chairman, Lina Khan justifies the regulations on the basis of current system’s inefficiencies. The current notice and consent approach was supposed to provide the customers with control over how they share their data, but its opaque nature has only contributed to people’s fear of privacy invasion. Apart from data, we can also expect the new rules to crack down on algorithms that seemingly encourage discrimination and communal disruptions by promoting hateful content, an issue we have seen making the headlines quite a lot recently.
“I share your concerns about commercial surveillance and am committed to ensuring the FTC is using its full suite of tools to protect Americans from unfair or deceptive practices online,” wrote Khan. She added that increased reliance on the internet during the coronavirus pandemic “makes this a particularly urgent and opportune time” to tackle online privacy and security matters.
The revelations from FTC come after nine Senate Democrats requested to establish a specific regulatory framework for protecting consumer data.