Despite being the smartest species our world has ever seen, human beings have repeatedly shown a strong tendency to make mistakes. In fact, these mistakes have popped up on the surface time and time throughout our history, with their each appearance forcing us to look for some sort of a defensive cover. To the world’s credit, it will find the most fitting answer to this conundrum once it brings dedicated regulatory bodies into the fold. Having a well-defined authority running the show in each and every area instantly compensated for a lot of our shortcomings, and consequentially, made us feel safer than ever before. However, this bump didn’t last very long, and it was all because of technology. We say this because, as soon as technology and its layered nature took over the scene, it ended up giving people an extraordinary chance to bend the rules and face no consequences whatsoever for doing so. The stated reality expectantly disturbed our entire progress, which came under regulatory stewardship, therefore sending us back to square one. Fortunately, though, it seems like we are now firmly back on the recovery curve or at least that’s how it looks like when you dig into some recent cases. In fact, a newly-proposed legislation might just go on to bolster the stated pattern.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has officially confirmed that the House Democrats are working on an all-new legislation, which will protect personal data collected by the typical reproductive health trackers. The move follows up on Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and therefore allow states to ban abortion. Interestingly enough, the stated legislation is only a part of the three key areas that Pelosi and the House Democrats are focusing upon at the moment. These three key areas revolve around protecting sensitive data on reproductive health apps, making it clear that states cannot stop people from traveling to seek an abortion, and once again trying to pass a federal law guaranteeing a right to an abortion. Now, while many users of such apps have already switched to a more privacy-friendly alternative, the bill should give this movement a sustainable avenue that it currently seems to lack.
“Many fear that this information could be used against women by a sinister prosecutor in a state that criminalizes abortion,” said Pelosi. “While this extremist Supreme Court works to punish and control the American people, Democrats must continue our fight to expand freedom in America. “Doing so is foundational to our oath of office and our fidelity to the Constitution.”
Mind you, it’s not the first ever legislation proposal that focuses on protecting users’ data. Only a few days ago, we saw Rep. Sara Jacobs, a Democrat from California, introducing the “My Body, My Data Act.” Nevertheless, taking the recent decision into account, the significance of Pelosi’s initiative can prove to be unprecedented.
