Nearly 2 in 3 Americans Support Goal of Rep. Sara Jacobs’ My Body, My Data Act
Nearly 2 in 3 Americans support the goal of Congresswoman Sara Jacobs’ (CA-53) My Body, My Data Act (H.R. 8111). In a new poll by Navigator Research, 63% of Americans, across every partisan and racial group, support Congress making it illegal for apps and search engines to sell their reproductive health data. Congresswoman Sara Jacobs’ My Body, My Data Act would accomplish this by establishing a new national standard to protect reproductive and sexual health data.
“Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision leaked, I’ve heard from friends, peers, and constituents panicked that their reproductive health data could be weaponized against them in our post-Roe world,” said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs. “This new polling underscores those very real fears and the need for Congress to immediately act to protect our most personal and private information in apps, search engines, location data, and more. My bill, the My Body, My Data Act, is the strongest legislation in Congress to protect reproductive and sexual health data. And with Republicans at every level of government finding new ways to target abortion patients and providers, we don’t have any time to wait. We need to pass it now – to protect our data and our privacy.”
The My Body, My Data Act (H.R. 8111) would:
- 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.
- Protect personal data collected by entities not currently covered under HIPAA, including data collected by apps, cell phones, and search engines.
- Require regulated entities to develop and share a privacy policy outlining how they collect, retain, use, and disclose personal reproductive health information.
- Direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce the law and to develop rules to implement the statute.
- Create a private right of action to allow individuals to hold regulated entities accountable for violations.
- Provide additional consumer protections, including the right of an individual to access or delete their personal data if they choose to.
- Include a state non-preemption clause that allows states to provide further protection for reproductive and sexual health privacy.
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