Washington — Just weeks after President Obama signed surveillance reform legislation, Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have introduced what could prove to be the next step in the process of rebuilding confidence in the U.S. government and tech sector — the Judicial Redress Act of 2015.
The pending legislation extends redress rights found in the U.S. Privacy Act to citizens of designated nations, particularly European Union member states, and would allow them to request corrections of inaccuracies in data held by the U.S. government and to seek judicial recourse in the alternative.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association welcomed the introduction of companion legislation in the House in April, noting that U.S. citizens had similar legal rights in most European Member States, an imbalance the bills would correct.
CCIA privacy counsel Bijan Madhani thanked Senators Hatch and Murphy.
“We appreciate the introduction of the Judicial Redress Act and urge Congress to swiftly pass this bipartisan bill. Its sorely needed redress provisions should go a long way towards restoring global public trust in international digital data transfers that have become a critical component of economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic,” Madhani said.