Terry, Schakowsky Announce Bipartisan Privacy Working Group

Press Release

Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Lee Terry (R-NE) and Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today launched a bipartisan Privacy Working Group to examine online privacy concerns and issues. The goal is to examine these complex issues with a balanced approach that recognizes the need to protect personal information online in a manner that preserves growth and innovation.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Peter Welch (D-VT) will co-chair the group. Other members of the panel include Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX), Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS), Ranking Member Schakowsky, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), and Jerry McNerney (D-CA).

"My goal in working with Ranking Member Schakowsky and the other members of the working group is to come to an agreement on principles and determine what we need to fix or if we need to fix anything. I believe at the end of the day a bipartisan, consensus-driven approach will help us move forward towards a common bipartisan solution," said Terry.

"As more and more personal information is shared and collected online, it is critical that we take commonsense steps to ensure data privacy. I thank Chairman Terry for his efforts to address the privacy issue in a bipartisan and consumer-focused way, and I look forward to participating in this working group to address the privacy challenges we face," said Schakowsky.

"I thank Chairman Terry for appointing me to chair the Privacy Working Group to facilitate looking at these issues in a thoughtful, bipartisan manner. Working together, we will review a broad set of privacy issues, and seek opportunities where Congress can forge bipartisan agreement to better protect consumers' sensitive information and foster US-based innovation," said Blackburn.

"While advancements in technology have transformed our lives for the better, there has been a related explosion in the online collection of consumer information. It's more important than ever that we make sure the consumer's right to privacy is protected. This working group is a bipartisan opportunity to find common ground that ensures consumer privacy as well as continued innovation," said Welch.