Washington, D.C. – Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked me to chair the Judiciary Committee’s Tech Task Force, and I was honored to lead our first meeting on Thursday. We heard from executives at Snap, Inc., Match Group, Salesforce and Mozilla.
The Task Force will meet regularly to hold roundtable discussions that focus on privacy, data security, antitrust, competition, prioritization, censorship and other issues as they arise. Keeping our families safe online is a bipartisan issue, and I’m pleased Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has agreed to co-chair the Tech Task Force with me.
I spoke with my colleagues on the Senate floor on Thursday about the bipartisan BROWSER Act, a bill I’ve supported since I first introduced it in the House of Representatives in 2015.
It requires companies to explicitly ask consumers to opt-in to the collection of their sensitive information, such as health and financial data or their social security number.
For less sensitive information, like an IP address, companies would be required to give their customers the ability to opt-out. They would not be allowed to deny service to users who refuse to waive their privacy.
When we talk about privacy violations and data insecurity, Google tops the list of the biggest and worst offenders. The tech giant continues to push the boundaries, this time by violating consumer privacy and selectively censoring content. On Tuesday, I raised my concerns with Karan Bhatia, Google’s Vice President of Public Policy.
Raising The Bar: Confirming More Judges
My colleagues and I on the Judiciary Committee have kept busy this summer voting to confirm federal judges. On Thursday, the Senate voted to confirm Clifton Corker as a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Confirming strict constitutionalist judges is incredibly important to Tennesseans, and I will continue to support that effort.
My Trip To The Border With The VP
Cartel propaganda about instant asylum and open borders have drawn migrants by the hundreds of thousands to border stations along our southern border. Last Friday, I joined Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a visit to a migrant detention center in Texas, and witnessed firsthand how much work is needed to address this spiraling humanitarian and security crisis. Read my recap on the situation here.
Catching Up With Tennesseans
On Tuesday, I held a TeleTown Hall and spoke with folks from Middle Tennessee who understand why it’s time to get serious about Big Tech. One mother shared how concerned she was that she didn’t know what her young daughter was doing on popular social media apps. These conversations are important and demonstrate why it’s time to hold Big Tech accountable. Thank you to all who participated.
Marsha’s Roundup
The millions of Americans who love our country are why the United States is the best and most powerful country on earth. Our economy is strong, companies continue to hire, and unemployment rates are the lowest we’ve seen in 50 years. I shared this great news with Steve Hilton and his live audience on Fox News’ The Next Revolution special earlier this week.
CARE ambassadors Kim Williams-Paisley and Rita Angel Taylor stopped by this week to discuss the important work they are doing to improve education, health care and economic opportunity for women!
Harpist Kari Novilla of Jefferson City was selected to perform with The Kennedy Center’s Washington National Opera Institute. Thanks for popping in, Kari!
On Tuesday, I met with Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joseph Simons and discussed the importance of a level playing field across all industries.
Tennessee Tuesday
It was great to catch up with so many friends at Tennessee Tuesday this week! I always enjoy meeting with the many Tennesseans visiting our nation’s capital. Thank you for sharing a portion of your trip with Senator Alexander and me!
Stay In Touch
As a reminder, you can reach any of my five offices in Tennessee to share a concern or request assistance with a federal agency. The phone number for my Washington D.C. office is 202.224.3344, the same number previously used by Senators Bob Corker and Bill Frist.
Be sure to follow my work on behalf of Tennesseans on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/marshablackburn
Twitter: @MarshaBlackburn
Instagram: @MarshaBlackburn
My Best,
Marsha
