100 Members of the House Support Rep. Sara Jacobs’ My Body, My Data Act
100 Members of the House of Representatives, in addition to 13 Senators, have officially signed on as co-sponsors of Congresswoman Sara Jacobs’ (CA-53) My Body, My Data Act. The landmark, bicameral legislation would create a new national standard to protect personal reproductive and sexual health data. The bill’s momentum follows reports that 1 in 3 women have lost most abortion access, with that figure poised to grow as trigger bans in Texas, Tennessee, and Idaho go into effect today. The My Body, My Data Act would help protect Americans’ digital privacy from escalating attacks on reproductive health, including abortion access and contraception.
“Our personal reproductive information – in period and fertility tracking apps, Google searches, and location data – has always been vulnerable, but these risks are escalating with three new trigger laws going into effect today,” said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs. “It’s terrifying that our most personal and private information could be weaponized against us, especially in Republican-controlled states where elected officials have shown no mercy and no limits to what they’re willing to do to target abortion patients and providers. The My Body, My Data Act will help Americans reclaim their dignity, reproductive rights, and digital privacy by establishing a national standard to protect reproductive and sexual health data. I’m so grateful that 100 of my House colleagues have co-sponsored the bill and that it’s continuing to gain momentum.”
The My Body, My Data Act would:
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Limit the personal reproductive and sexual health data that can be collected, retained, used, or disclosed to only what is needed to deliver a product or service.
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Protect personal data collected by entities not currently covered under HIPAA, including data collected by apps, cell phones, and search engines.
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Require regulated entities to develop and share a privacy policy outlining how they collect, retain, use, and disclose personal reproductive health information.
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Direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce the law and to develop rules to implement the statute.
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Create a private right of action to allow individuals to hold regulated entities accountable for violations.
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Provide additional consumer protections, including the right of an individual to access or delete their personal data if they choose to.
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Include a state non-preemption clause that allows states to provide further protection for reproductive and sexual health privacy.
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