The chapter delves into the challenges faced in passing tech legislation, focusing on Senator Maria Cantwell's fight against government intrusion into citizen privacy and the influence of big tech on the Senate Commerce Committee. It discusses the push for a federal privacy law, the importance of a strong data privacy bill, and the complexities of balancing free speech and privacy rights in the digital age.
When Kara first met Senator Maria Cantwell in the 90s, she was a tech executive at an early player in the streaming media industry called RealNetworks. Now, the Democrat from Washington is the chair of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee, and she recently released a draft of the American Privacy Rights Act. For the first time in a long time, it looks like a tech privacy bill might have a decent shot at actually becoming law.
Senator Cantwell joins the podcast to discuss her bill, her approach to tech legislation, and the biggest (and arguably most controversial) tech bill in recent history: the TikTok divestment bill.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
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