House Republicans are going back to the drawing board as they look toward a national privacy standard following years of disagreement with Democrats on the issue.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) on Wednesday announced the creation of a data privacy working group focused on a “framework for legislation” on the matter.
“We strongly believe that a national data privacy standard is necessary to protect Americans’ rights online and maintain our country’s global leadership in digital technologies, including artificial intelligence,” Guthrie and Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.), the vice chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a joint statement.
“That’s why we are creating this working group, to bring members and stakeholders together to explore a framework for legislation that can get across the finish line,” they continued.
The working group will be led by Joyce and involve eight other House GOP members, including Rep. Jay Obernolte (Calif.), who co-chaired a House task force on artificial intelligence last year.
An announcement about the group called for input from a “broad range of stakeholders” interested in working with the members.
Efforts to pass a comprehensive data privacy bill have failed for years, as global regulators move forward on protections. States have tried to fill the gaps, forcing tech firms to follow a patchwork of policies.
It is unclear whether they will pursue another data privacy bill this session, but an aide said “the committee’s goal is to move legislation this Congress.”
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Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
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Essential Reads
How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:
Treasury Department revokes access ‘mistakenly’ given to Musk aide
A former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer “mistakenly” received editing access to a sensitive federal payment system at the Treasury Department for a brief period last week before staff revoked his capabilities. Marko Elez, a 25-year-old DOGE staffer who resigned Friday, did not use the additional privileges to make any changes to the database, Treasury Department official Joseph Gioeli III said in …
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Musk calls for ‘wave of judicial impeachments’
Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday called for judges to be impeached for checking the power of the Trump administration, as some of its efforts to overhaul the government get bogged down in legal fights. “There needs to be an immediate wave of judicial impeachments, not just one,” Musk said on the social platform X, responding to claim of a conflict of interest for U.S. District Judge John Bates, who ordered federal health …
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Apple renames Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America on maps
Apple Maps has renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, after the Trump administration updated the U.S. database for geographic names to reflect the president’s order renaming the body of water. The U.S. Geographic Names Information System officially updated the name to the Gulf of America late Sunday, according to The Associated Press. Google Maps and Bing Maps have also renamed the gulf in response. Google said …
Welcome to Crypto Corner, a new feature in The Hill’s Technology newsletter focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington.
President Trump has nominated Brian Quintenz to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), in a move widely cheered by the cryptocurrency community.
Quintenz, who serves as the global head of policy for Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z crypto arm, was a commissioner at the agency in Trump’s first administration.
“The @CFTC plays a critical role in maintaining robust hedging and price discovery markets that are the envy of the globe,” Quintenz said in a post on the social platform X.
“The agency is also well poised to ensure the USA leads the world in blockchain technology and innovation,” he continued. “I look forward to working with President Trump’s incredible financial regulatory team.”
Quintenz’s nomination was well-received by the industry, with top crypto leaders offering their congratulations.
“His real experience in the crypto industry along with his knowledge of the CFTC makes him perfectly suited to lead the agency — and aligned with President Trump’s vision for crypto in the United States,” Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith said in a statement.
The CFTC is one of two regulatory agencies, alongside the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), that oversee the crypto industry.
In recent years, crypto companies have pushed the two agencies for clarity on when digital assets are regulated by the SEC versus the CFTC, prompting efforts to establish a clearer market structure through legislation.
The Refresh
News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:
President Trump has tapped Apple executive Jonathan Morrison to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (TechCrunch)
OpenAI’s board hasn’t received Elon Musk’s bid for nonprofit control (Reuters)
In Other News
Branch out with other reads on The Hill:
Scarlett Johansson calls out AI misuse after viral video ripping Ye
Scarlett Johansson says while she has “no tolerance” for hate speech, she’s calling out the “misuse” of artificial intelligence (AI) in a viral video featuring her and other Jewish performers responding to antisemitic remarks by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. “It has been brought to my attention by family members and friends, that an AI-generated video featuring my likeness, …
Full Story
What Others are Reading
Two key stories on The Hill right now:
Trump on whether Ukraine, Russia are equal in peace talks: ‘It’s an interesting question’
President Trump on Wednesday would not say whether he considers Ukraine to be an “equal member” of efforts to end the war between Moscow and Kyiv, … Read more
First DOGE committee hearing becomes referendum on Elon Musk
The star of the first Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee hearing in the House Wednesday was an individual not in attendance: Elon Musk. … Read more
What Others are Reading
Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill:
3 policy lessons from the DeepSeek panic
Biden’s in-office work policy harmed federal employee retention. Trump’s could destroy it.
You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!
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