Two new states, Oklahoma and Connecticut may pass data privacy legislation in 2022. Although federal privacy legislation does not look like it will be enacted anytime soon, privacy advocates are watching how the government regulates big tech companies.
“2022 Privacy Legislation Success Viable as Three States Lead Way,” Bloomberg Law- January 3rd, 2022
In 2021 two states passed data privacy legislation, Virginia and Colorado. Prospective states to pass data privacy legislation in 2022 include Oklahoma and Connecticut. Unfortunately, prospects for a federal law in 2022 look slim as federal legislation does not appear to be a priority. State legislation will address important issues such as biometric privacy and online safety for children.
“2022 will be the ‘do or die’ moment for Congress to take action against Big Tech,” CNBC- December 31st, 2021
Privacy advocates continue to urge Congress to enact a federal data privacy law, striving to show the government why this should be a priority especially when it comes to protecting children online. Kid-focused privacy-legislation is essential particularly after leaked Facebook documents convey the detrimental effects Facebook and other big tech platforms can have on children.
Protecting your privacy is not as easy as it should be as most apps require multiple steps in a process to opt-out being tracked. As more information being exchanged over messaging apps, Signal is consistently the highest ranked app for privacy controls.
“Unless you change these settings, Google is still tracking you,” MSN- January 2nd, 2022
Consumers need to be careful using Google apps since many of these apps may be tracking you and collecting large amounts of data. However, there are several ways to turn off location tracking. This article walks users through how to turn off Google’s location tracking, how to delete old location history, and how to stop Google from collecting your app activity.
“WhatsApp vs. Signal vs. Telegram: Which Messaging App Should You Use to Secure Your Conversations in 2022?” Business Insider- January 3rd, 2022
Although WhatsApp is still the most popular chatting app, other apps like Signal and Telegram have become more widely used given concerns about WhatsApp privacy issues. WhatsApp has taken steps in the right direction by implementing end-to-end encryption, but there are still significant security concerns given that it’s owned by Facebook. Signal on the other hand, is the most secure and privacy-friendly messaging app, leading the way for encrypted messages. Finally, Telegram has a wide variety of features that are not offered on WhatsApp or Signal, but end-to-end encryption is not enabled by default.