TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Governor DeSantis, House Speaker Chris Sprowls, and Representative Fiona McFarland held a press conference Monday highlighting proposed legislation that would increase data privacy and security and uphold the rights of Floridians over major technology companies.
Monday’s announcement is another important step to safeguard Floridians against the often-unchecked power of “Big Tech,” and follows the proposal from the Governor and legislative leaders earlier this month to increase technology transparency in Florida.
“For far too long, Big Tech companies have abdicated their responsibility of safeguarding and securing the data of Americans and Floridians; in fact, rather than protecting our data, they are profiting from it,” said Governor DeSantis.“This one-way street – where Big Tech has all the power and consumers have little to none – stops now. With the proposals announced today, we will finally check these companies’ unfettered ability to profit off our data and ensure the protection of Floridians’ personal and private information.”
“Today’s introduction of our Consumer Data Privacy legislation is another step in combating mass public distrust left in the wake of Big Tech companies’ destruction,” said Speaker Chris Sprowls. “They don’t care about your personal information; they don’t care who gets ahold of your sensitive data. In the state of Florida, we care. It’s time to stop bad actors and help restore consumers’ trust in companies that hold the keys to their personal information.”
“Today, when we interact with websites, apps, and services online, we leave behind troves of personal information about ourselves,” said Representative Fiona McFarland, bill sponsor. “While we celebrate the spirit of American ingenuity and innovation, we must balance this with protections for our private information.”
