Published: November 2021

Boosting the FTC’s oversight ability through the Build Back Better Act

Consumer Action and 34 civil rights, civil liberties and consumer protection organizations joined in urging Congress to pass key provisions of the Build Back Better Act that will strengthen the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) power to halt discriminatory and abusive data practices. The bill provides $1 billion in funding for the Commission’s privacy and antitrust work and establishes an FTC bureau to address privacy, civil rights and data security issues.

In a letter to Congress, a coalition of advocates urged legislators to allocate critical funding through the Build Back Better Act to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) so that the Commission can become better equipped to prevent unfair and deceptive data practices, which disproportionately harm people of color and low-income communities. The bill would also give the FTC crucial power to fine companies for their first data abuse violation—a powerful deterrent against exploitative data practices and a key tool for holding lawbreaking companies accountable.

Lead Organization

Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)

Other Organizations

Access Now | Americans for Financial Reform | Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC | California Low-Income Consumer Coalition | California Reinvestment Coalition | CAMEO – California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity | Center for Democracy & Technology | Center for Digital Democracy | Center for Responsible Lending | Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law | Color Of Change | Common Cause | Common Sense | Consumer Action | Consumer Federation of America | Consumer Federation of California | Consumer Reports | Electronic Frontier Foundation | Electronic Privacy Information Center | Fairplay | Fight for the Future | Free Press Action | The Greenlining Institute | HTTP | Legal Aid of Marin | Media Alliance | Muslim Advocates | National Association of Consumer Advocates | National Consumer Law Center, on behalf of its low-income clients | National Consumers League | National Council of Asian Pacific Americans | National Hispanic Media Coalition | New America’s Open Technology Institute | NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights | Oakland Privacy | Parent Coalition for Student Privacy | Privacy Rights Clearinghouse | Public Citizen | Public Good Law Center | Public Knowledge | Public Law Center | Ranking Digital Rights | United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry | U.S. PIRG

More Information

To read the coalition letter in full, please click here.

For more information, please visit EPIC.

 

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