Read a column summarizing CAP’s RFI submission
On April 7, 2025, the Center for American Progress submitted comments in response to the House Energy and Commerce Committee privacy working group’s request for information (RFI) to inform legislation for a federal data privacy and security framework. In particular, CAP notes the opposition from trade associations, which often represent the interests of Big Tech companies, while underscoring the promises made by House Republicans and the Trump administration to hold Big Tech accountable.
The comment letter outlines four foundational protections that must be part of any meaningful federal privacy framework. These include 1) strong data minimization requirements, 2) narrowly tailored permissible purposes, 3) universal opt-out mechanisms, and 4) clear artificial intelligence (AI) provisions that reserve states’ ability to regulate high-risk uses of AI. For each component, the letter explains how major technology companies and the trade associations representing them have opposed strong safeguards. In addition to outlining these baseline protections, the letter responds to several key questions raised in the RFI, including how to define and assign obligations to different entities in the data ecosystem and how to appropriately scope and define personal and sensitive information.
CAP urges Congress to reject these industry-led efforts to weaken core protections and instead advance a framework that centers the rights of individuals.
Click here to read CAP’s comment letter.