Jump to content

United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy is a subcommittee within the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. It was formerly named the Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection, the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety, the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security, and the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security before getting its current title at the beginning of the 119th United States Congress.

Jurisdiction

[edit]

The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security is responsible for consumer affairs, consumer protection, and consumer product safety; product liability; property and casualty insurance; manufacturing and workforce development; sports-related matters; and data privacy, security, and protection. The subcommittee also conducts oversight on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), as well as manufacturing and trade related matters within the Department of Commerce.

Members, 119th Congress

[edit]
Majority[1] Minority[1]
Ex officio

Historical subcommittee rosters

[edit]

118th Congress

[edit]
Majority[2] Minority[2]
Ex officio

117th Congress

[edit]
Majority Minority
Ex officio

116th Congress

[edit]
Majority[3] Minority[3]
Ex officio

Notable activities

[edit]
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen with then-subcommittee chair Richard Blumenthal on October 5, 2021

2021 Facebook whistleblower hearing

[edit]

Following the 2021 Facebook leak controversy, the subcommittee under then-chairman Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) held a hearing titled "Protecting Kids Online: Testimony from a Facebook Whistleblower". Held on October 5, 2021, the hearing featured testimony from Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager who disclosed tens of thousands of internal documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and The Wall Street Journal.[4]

During the hearing, Haugen testified that the social media platform has harmed young users' mental health and facilitated the spread of dangerous misinformation. Haugen's testimony was praised by a bipartisan group of Senators, including Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Cruz, Cantwell Announce Commerce Subcommittee Rosters for 119th Congress". U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation. February 20, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Commerce Committee Announces Subcommittee Memberships". U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation. February 17, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Wicker and Cantwell Release Subcommittee Assignments". U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation. January 24, 2019.
  4. ^ Mac, Ryan (October 5, 2021). "Who is Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistle-blower?". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  5. ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (2021-10-05). "Whistle-Blower Unites Democrats and Republicans in Calling for Regulation of Facebook". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
[edit]