Data privacy is a critical right that must be protected; we must protect the control users have over their data. I urge you to introduce or pass: the right to be informed, the right of access, and the right to object/contest in the US and Canada. These three rights are crucial to protecting consumers from the online abuse of their personal data and ensures that consumers are appropriately informed of when their data is used, thus being able to take the regulatory action of accessing a copy of their data.

The right to be informed gives people the ability to know exactly how their data is being used. Companies will continue to obstruct the truth behind their services for as long as they are allowed, as has been seen repeatedly, from facial recognition surveys, to gathering voter data. Even in a perfect world, it can be difficult to understand how to balance the information a consumer must know and be able to present it in a comprehensible, short and simple way. There is a balance that exists, and one that the United States and Canada must work on finding, in order for people to understand the real cost of the services they are using.

Consumers must also have the ability to view information about how their data is being used by the organization who has access to their data and how long their data is stored. In the United States, a form of this right exists under HIPPA for medical information, but companies from every other industry, are able to ignore requests from users for the data stored about them, as well as not inform the users on the purpose of collecting the data and who has access to that data. As the world becomes more data-centered, consumers deserve to know where their data is being used. Many countries reference this right as the right to access.

As much as it is important for consumers to understand how their data is used, this does not give them the power to actually change the way things are run. Consumers need the right to contest and object to the way their data is used, in order to avoid predatory ads and have a say in the way their data is being processed. This can be a complex issue that may require governmental resources to ensure it is done well, including possibly a commission. However, there are many smaller ways the government can help consumers keep the companies holding their data accountable, such as requiring them to answer customer inquiries or make certain personal data accessible to the consumer.

In this digital age, Americans and Canadians deserve to have their right to data privacy protected through legislation and fought for by their representatives.

For more information, and to take action visit https://4dataprivacy.com/