The Developers Alliance encourages leadership in the House of Representatives to continue work on the American Data Privacy and Protection Act before it is voted on for final passage.
Washington, D.C. July 21, 2022 –The Developers Alliance has released the following statement addressing the markup of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (H.R. 8152) in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Key Facts
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The American Data Privacy and Protection Act does not preempt all state privacy laws and grants new authorities to state agencies.
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A private right of action allows individuals to sue companies for alleged violations. This would expose developers to destructive lawsuits and harm the industry.
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Privacy legislation that protects consumers and developers – especially those that are small to midsize –will grow the industry, create jobs, and spur economic growth.
Geoff Lane, Head of U.S. Policy for the Developers Alliance, issued the following statement:
“We applaud the House Energy and Commerce Committee for passing the American Data Privacy and Protection Act. The legislation passed out of the committee is a solid first step, and we look forward to working with lawmakers to improve it to ensure developers can innovate and create jobs. Improvements before the legislation is considered on the House floor for final passage will help shield developers from digital trade barriers being erected abroad.
The bill passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee still does not preempt the patchwork of state privacy laws that developers must navigate before they can deploy their products and services. What’s more, granting state regulators like the California Privacy Protection Agency express authority to enforce a federal law will only end up creating more hurdles and headaches for those developers. The bill also includes a private right of action. While the goals of this provision may be noble, the reality is that it will only encourage bad actors to file malicious lawsuits that will harm developers and the industry, driving up costs for consumers.
While there is still work to be done on the legislation, we do support its provision to protect small businesses from harmful litigation. Small developers –the backbone of our industry –can take comfort in knowing that they’ll be protected if this bill is enacted.
About The Developers Alliance
The Developers Alliance is the world’s leading advocate for software developers and the companies invested in their success. Alliance members include industry leaders in consumer, enterprise, industrial, and emerging software development, and a global network of more than 70,000 developers.
