Title: CONSENT Act
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
Customer Online Notification for Stopping Edge-provider Network Transgressions or the CONSENT Act
This bill directs the Federal Trade Commission to establish certain privacy protections for customers of online edge providers (e.g., search engines, streaming services, and social-media platforms), including by requiring such providers to

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2639 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2639

     To require the Federal Trade Commission to establish privacy 
   protections for customers of online edge providers, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 10, 2018

 Mr. Markey (for himself and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To require the Federal Trade Commission to establish privacy 
   protections for customers of online edge providers, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Customer Online Notification for 
Stopping Edge-provider Network Transgressions'' or the ``CONSENT Act''.

SEC. 2. PRIVACY OF CUSTOMERS OF EDGE PROVIDERS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``breach of security'' means any instance in 
        which a person, without authorization or in violation of any 
        authorization provided to the person, gains access to, uses, or 
        discloses sensitive customer proprietary information;
            (2) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal Trade 
        Commission;
            (3) the term ``customer'' means--
                    (A) an individual who is a customer of an edge 
                provider; and
                    (B) an individual who is a user of an edge service 
                provided by an edge provider;
            (4) the term ``edge provider'' means a person that provides 
        an edge service, but only to the extent to which the person 
        provides that service;
            (5) the term ``edge service''--
                    (A) means a service that is provided over the 
                Internet--
                            (i) for which the edge provider requires 
                        the customer to subscribe or establish an 
                        account in order to use the service;
                            (ii) that the customer purchases from the 
                        edge provider without a subscription or 
                        account;
                            (iii) through which a program searches for 
                        and identifies items in a database that 
                        correspond to keywords or characters specified 
                        by the customer; or
                            (iv) through which a customer divulges 
                        sensitive customer proprietary information of 
                        the customer; and
                    (B) includes any service that is provided--
                            (i) through a software program, including a 
                        mobile application; or
                            (ii) over the Internet, directly or 
                        indirectly, through a connected device;
            (6) the term ``opt-in consent'' means a method by which an 
        edge provider may obtain from a customer affirmative, express 
        consent to use, disclose, or permit access to the sensitive 
        customer proprietary information of the customer after the 
        customer has received explicit notification of the request of 
        the edge provider with respect to that information;
            (7) the term ``personally identifiable information'' means 
        any information that is linked, or reasonably may be linked, to 
        a specific individual or device; and
            (8) the term ``sensitive customer proprietary information'' 
        includes--
                    (A) financial information;
                    (B) health information;
                    (C) information pertaining to children;
                    (D) Social Security numbers;
                    (E) precise geolocation information;
                    (F) content of communications;
                    (G) call detail information;
                    (H) web browsing history, application usage 
                history, and the functional equivalents of either; and
                    (I) any other personally identifiable information 
                that the Commission determines to be sensitive.
    (b) Privacy of Customers of Edge Providers.--
            (1) Act prohibited.--It is unlawful for an edge provider to 
        violate the privacy of a customer in a manner that violates a 
        regulation prescribed under paragraph (2).
            (2) Regulations.--
                    (A) In general.--In carrying out this Act, the 
                Commission shall--
                            (i) not later than 1 year after the date of 
                        enactment of this Act, promulgate, under 
                        section 553 of title 5, United States Code, 
                        regulations to protect the privacy of customers 
                        of edge providers; and
                            (ii) ensure that the regulations 
                        promulgated under clause (i) take effect not 
                        later than 180 days after the date on which the 
                        regulations are promulgated.
                    (B) Requirements under regulations.--In 
                promulgating regulations under subparagraph (A), the 
                Commission shall--
                            (i) require an edge provider to notify a 
                        customer about the collection, use, and sharing 
                        of the sensitive customer proprietary 
                        information of the customer, including by--
                                    (I) notifying the customer about 
                                the types of sensitive customer 
                                proprietary information the edge 
                                provider collects;
                                    (II) specifying how and for what 
                                purposes the edge provider uses and 
                                shares sensitive customer proprietary 
                                information; and
                                    (III) identifying the types of 
                                entities with which the edge provider 
                                shares sensitive customer proprietary 
                                information;
                            (ii) require an edge provider to--
                                    (I) supply the information 
                                described in clause (i) when a customer 
                                initially subscribes to, establishes an 
                                account for, purchases, or begins 
                                receiving an edge service; and
                                    (II) update a customer when the 
                                policies of the edge provider relating 
                                to the information described in clause 
                                (i) change in a significant way;
                            (iii) require an edge provider to obtain 
                        opt-in consent from a customer to use, share, 
                        or sell the sensitive customer proprietary 
                        information of the customer;
                            (iv) implement strong protection for 
                        sensitive customer proprietary information that 
                        has been de-identified to prevent the 
                        restoration of any personally identifiable 
                        information that has been previously removed, 
                        including by--
                                    (I) requiring an edge provider to 
                                alter the customer information so that 
                                the customer information cannot be 
                                reasonably linked to a specific 
                                individual or device;
                                    (II) requiring an edge provider to 
                                publically commit to maintain and use 
                                sensitive customer proprietary 
                                information in an unidentifiable format 
                                and to not attempt to restore any 
                                personally identifiable information 
                                that has been previously removed from 
                                the sensitive customer proprietary 
                                information; and
                                    (III) requiring an edge provider to 
                                contractually prohibit the practice of 
                                restoring any personally identifiable 
                                information that has been previously 
                                removed from sensitive customer 
                                proprietary information;
                            (v) determine on a case-by-case basis the 
                        reasonableness of any program that relates the 
                        price of an edge service to the privacy 
                        protections afforded to customers, and require 
                        an edge provider to fully disclose plans that 
                        provide discounts or other incentives in 
                        exchange for a express affirmative consent of 
                        the customer to the use and sharing of the 
                        sensitive customer proprietary information of 
                        the customer;
                            (vi) prohibit an edge provider from 
                        refusing to serve a customer who does not 
                        consent to the use and sharing of the customer 
                        proprietary information of the customer for 
                        commercial purposes (commonly known as a 
                        ``take-it-or-leave-it offer'') on the basis of 
                        that refusal to consent by the customer; and
                            (vii) require an edge provider to--
                                    (I) develop reasonable data 
                                security practices; and
                                    (II) notify a customer if a breach 
                                of security has occurred if the edge 
                                provider determines that an 
                                unauthorized disclosure of the 
                                sensitive customer proprietary 
                                information of the customer has 
                                occurred and harm is reasonably likely 
                                to occur.
    (c) Enforcement by the Commission.--
            (1) In general.--Except as otherwise provided, this Act and 
        the regulations prescribed under this Act shall be enforced by 
        the Commission under the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 
        U.S.C. 41 et seq.).
            (2) Unfair or deceptive acts or practices.--Subject to 
        subsection (d), a violation of this Act or a regulation 
        prescribed under this Act shall be treated as a violation of a 
        rule defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice prescribed 
        under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act 
        (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)).
            (3) Actions by the commission.--Subject to subsection (d), 
        and except as provided in subsection (f)(1), the Commission 
        shall prevent any person from violating this Act or a 
        regulation prescribed under this Act in the same manner, by the 
        same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, and duties 
        as though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal 
        Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated 
        into and made a part of this Act, and any person who violates 
        this Act or such regulation shall be subject to the penalties 
        and entitled to the privileges and immunities provided in the 
        Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.).
    (d) Enforcement by Certain Other Agencies.--Compliance with the 
requirements imposed under this Act shall be enforced as follows:
            (1) Under section 8 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act 
        (12 U.S.C. 1818) by the appropriate Federal banking agency, 
        with respect to an insured depository institution (as those 
        terms are defined in section 3 of that Act (12 U.S.C. 1813)).
            (2) Under the Federal Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. 1751 et 
        seq.) by the National Credit Union Administration Board, with 
        respect to any Federal credit union.
            (3) Under part A of subtitle VII of title 49, United States 
        Code, by the Secretary of Transportation, with respect to any 
        air carrier or foreign air carrier subject to that part.
            (4) Under the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 
        181 et seq.) (except as provided in section 406 of that Act (7 
        U.S.C. 226; 227)) by the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect 
        to any activities subject to that Act.
            (5) Under the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2001 et 
        seq.) by the Farm Credit Administration, with respect to any 
        Federal land bank, Federal land bank association, Federal 
        intermediate credit bank, or production credit association.
    (e) Enforcement by State Attorneys General.--
            (1) In general.--
                    (A) Civil actions.--In any case in which the 
                attorney general of a State has reason to believe that 
                an interest of the residents of that State has been or 
                is threatened or adversely affected by the engagement 
                of any person in a practice that violates this Act or a 
                regulation prescribed under this Act, the State, as 
                parens patriae, may bring a civil action on behalf of 
                the residents of the State in a district court of the 
                United States of appropriate jurisdiction to--
                            (i) enjoin that practice;
                            (ii) enforce compliance with this Act or 
                        such regulation;
                            (iii) obtain damages, restitution, or other 
                        compensation on behalf of residents of the 
                        State; or
                            (iv) obtain such other relief as the court 
                        may consider to be appropriate.
                    (B) Notice.--
                            (i) In general.--Before filing an action 
                        under subparagraph (A), the attorney general of 
                        the State involved shall provide to the 
                        Commission--
                                    (I) written notice of that action; 
                                and
                                    (II) a copy of the complaint for 
                                that action.
                            (ii) Exemption.--
                                    (I) In general.--Clause (i) shall 
                                not apply with respect to the filing of 
                                an action by an attorney general of a 
                                State under this paragraph if the 
                                attorney general determines that it is 
                                not feasible to provide the notice 
                                described in that clause before the 
                                filing of the action.
                                    (II) Notification.--In an action 
                                described in subclause (I), the 
                                attorney general of a State shall 
                                provide notice and a copy of the 
                                complaint to the Commission at the same 
                                time as the attorney general files the 
                                action.
            (2) Intervention.--
                    (A) In general.--On receiving notice under 
                paragraph (1)(B), the Commission shall have the right 
                to intervene in the action that is the subject of the 
                notice.
                    (B) Effect of intervention.--If the Commission 
                intervenes in an action under paragraph (1), it shall 
                have the right--
                            (i) to be heard with respect to any matter 
                        that arises in that action; and
                            (ii) to file a petition for appeal.
            (3) Construction.--For purposes of bringing any civil 
        action under paragraph (1), nothing in this Act shall be 
        construed to prevent an attorney general of a State from 
        exercising the powers conferred on the attorney general by the 
        laws of that State to--
                    (A) conduct investigations;
                    (B) administer oaths or affirmations; or
                    (C) compel the attendance of witnesses or the 
                production of documentary and other evidence.
            (4) Actions by the commission.--In any case in which an 
        action is instituted by or on behalf of the Commission for 
        violation of this Act or a regulation prescribed under this 
        Act, no State may, during the pendency of that action, 
        institute an action under paragraph (1) against any defendant 
        named in the complaint in the action instituted by or on behalf 
        of the Commission for that violation.
            (5) Venue; service of process.--
                    (A) Venue.--Any action brought under paragraph (1) 
                may be brought in the district court of the United 
                States that meets applicable requirements relating to 
                venue under section 1391 of title 28, United States 
                Code.
                    (B) Service of process.--In an action brought under 
                paragraph (1), process may be served in any district in 
                which the defendant--
                            (i) is an inhabitant; or
                            (ii) may be found.
    (f) Telecommunications Carriers.--
            (1) Definition.--In this subsection, the term 
        ``telecommunications carrier'' has the meaning given the term 
        in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153).
            (2) Enforcement by the commission.--Notwithstanding section 
        5(a)(2) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 
        45(a)(2)), compliance with the requirements imposed under this 
        Act shall be enforced by the Commission with respect to any 
        telecommunications carrier, but only to the extent that the 
        telecommunications carrier is operating as an edge provider.
            (3) Relationship to other law.--To the extent that the 
        applicability of section 222, 338(i), or 631 of the 
        Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 222, 338(i), 551) to a 
        telecommunications carrier is inconsistent with this Act, this 
        Act shall supersede those sections only to the extent that the 
        telecommunications carrier is operating as an edge provider.
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