Today’s Preview of the State of the Union

Next week, President Obama is scheduled to deliver his sixth State of the Union address. But this week, the president is giving the nation a sneak preview into some of the priorities he plans to share with the country when he delivers his speech on January 20.  

Today, the president unveiled a number of privacy and data breach-related initiatives in remarks delivered at the Federal Trade Commission. Tomorrow, at the Department of Homeland Security, he will share details on the administration’s planned cybersecurity-related measures.

The president’s priorities announced today include replacing the current patchwork of state data breach notification laws with one federal standard. ITI has long been a supporter of a single national data breach notification framework. We look forward to reviewing the president’s data breach notification proposal and engaging with the administration and lawmakers on this critical piece of legislation.  Properly done, a national data breach notification standard would go a long way in helping consumers protect themselves following a data breach.  

The president also announced that by the end of February the administration plans to release draft legislation providing a consumer privacy bill of rights. Robust engagement with all stakeholders is critical in connection with this initiative, and ITI urges the administration to ensure this collaboration. As it has in the past, ITI plans to continue to engage with the administration—including the Department of Commerce—to provide expertise to ensure that innovation continues to flourish, while at the same time, privacy protections are in place. 

Public Policy Tags: Cybersecurity, Data & Privacy

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