UPDATED 22:35 EDT / SEPTEMBER 25 2018

POLICY

Tech giants face another grilling by Congress Wednesday – and this time Google will be there

Some of the world’s leading tech companies will meet with Congress Wednesday, this time to discuss user privacy on their services.

Representatives from Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., AT&T Inc., Charter Communications Inc., Google LLC and Twitter Inc. will discuss issues surrounding data collection and how companies are protecting their users’ data.

According to Republican Senator John Thune, the committee will “provide leading technology companies and internet service providers an opportunity to explain their approaches to privacy, how they plan to address new requirements from the European Union and California, and what Congress can do to promote clear privacy expectations without hurting innovation.”

It also looks like Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai will meet privately with Republican lawmakers. During the last grilling in front of Congress, Google was criticized for not sending a representative, although the company blamed that on crossed communications.

On Monday, Google’s privacy lawyer, Keith Enright, released a three-page letter titled, “Framework for Responsible Data Protection Regulation.” It comes just days after Google was lambasted by some for its new Chrome 69 browser and a forced login default feature — which Google said today would change with the next version coming in October.

Enright referenced principles for responsible and transparent data collection, limits on data collection and how it’s used, keeping personal information accurate, giving users more control over their data and allowing them to correct, delete or download their data.

A good part of the missive was also related to how Google believes all companies should be accountable by law for their users’ data should anything go wrong.

“Now, more than any other time I have worked in this field, there is real momentum to develop baseline rules of the road for data protection,” Enright wrote. “Google welcomes this and supports comprehensive, baseline privacy regulation.”

Apple didn’t prepare such a detailed letter, although Axios reported that Guy L. “Bud” Tribble, vice president of software technology, will “convey Apple’s support for comprehensive federal privacy legislation that reflects Apple’s long-held view that privacy is a fundamental human right.”

Tribble will tell the committee that Apple wants a person’s device to know everything about its user, although Apple believes that the company itself shouldn’t be privy to that information. “These concepts have guided our design process for years because privacy is a core value at Apple, not an obligation or an aftermarket add-on,” he will say.

Image: Hannah Rosen via Flickr

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