The recent congressional hearing on TikTok has brought to the forefront concerns about privacy and data protection on social media platforms. While the focus has been on TikTok, the implications of the hearing could extend to business websites as well by pushing Congress to enact a federal privacy policy.
By now, you’ve probably seen a video or two of people ridiculing congress members’ questions during the recent TikTok hearing in Washington. Outside of the ridiculous videos and memes that circulated the internet, there was actually a purpose to the TikTok hearing. The House Energy and Commerce Committee convened to investigate “[H]ow Congress can safeguard American data privacy and protect children from online harms.”1 If that was the goal, then the hearing revealed plenty– not just about TikTok, but the nonexistent privacy safeguards in place because of Congress’s failure to pass federal legislation. With pressure on Congress to act on behalf of Americans, the push for federal privacy laws have increased and that will impact businesses’ website policies in the future.
Privacy Policies are Crucial for Business Websites
Business websites collect user data in various ways; from cookies and browsing history to personal information such as names, addresses, and payment details. This data can be used for targeted marketing, improving user experience, or other legitimate business purposes. However, misuse or mishandling of this data can result in serious consequences, including loss of trust, legal action, and reputational damage.
While having updated website policies avoids negative consequences, it also helps Google see your website as a trustworthy source. Google’s guidelines on content creation follows the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust) framework. They recently added “Experience” to the guideline and emphasized that “Trust” is the most important part of their guidelines.
According to Google:
“Trust is the most important member of the E-E-A-T family because untrustworthy pages have low E-E-A-T no matter how Experienced, Expert, or Authoritative they may seem.”
E-E-A-T and major updates to Google’s quality rater guidelines, Search Engine Land
There are several ways to signal to Google that your website is a trustworthy source. One of the ways is to link up-to-date website policies in the footer of your website.
The United States’ Patchwork of Privacy Laws
To protect user data and comply with data protection laws, businesses should have a privacy policy that explains how user data is collected, used, and shared. The TikTok congressional hearing shed light on the fact that there is a lack of comprehensive standards for how data can be aggregated, traded and processed across the U.S.
“Right now, we are one of the only developed nations in the world to lack federal protections, so it’s a bit laughable that Congress is trying to be tough on TikTok when it’s consistently evaded its responsibilities, instead forcing individual states to come up with their own laws,” said Daniel Barber, CEO of privacy control center DataGrail.
Currently (as of this post’s publication), 8 states have enforceable privacy laws in place, and 21 states have proposed bills that may be voted into law. That is a lot of legislation to keep track of if a business wants to make sure they are in compliance.
Thankfully, there are privacy policy generators like Termageddon (affiliate) that help ease the stress of keeping up with these changing laws. Termageddon stays on top of newly passed laws and automatically updates business owner’s privacy policies as needed.
The Hearing Could Push Congress to Enact a Federal Privacy Policy
Currently, there is no federal privacy law in the United States. Instead, data protection is governed by a patchwork of state laws such as the CCPA and the New York Privacy Act. These laws provide varying degrees of protection and can be confusing for businesses.
Many of the laws, like the CCPA are protecting its state’s residents so a business’s location of operation doesn’t matter. If a business is collecting user data in California, then they are subject to the CCPA.
The TikTok congressional hearing may push Congress to enact a federal privacy policy that applies to all companies that collect user data. A federal privacy law would provide clear guidelines for businesses to follow and ensure that users are protected regardless of where they live or which website they use.
The TikTok Congressional Hearing and its Implications for Business Websites
The TikTok congressional hearing highlighted concerns about how social media platforms collect, store, and share user data, including personal information such as location, contacts, and browsing history.
While the hearing focused on TikTok, there are broader implications for data privacy and protection. It highlights the need for stronger data protection laws that apply to all companies that collect user data, including business websites.
The hearing may also increase public awareness of data privacy issues, leading to increased scrutiny of business websites’ data collection practices. Until a federal law is passed, public awareness of how personal data is being collected and used will most likely increase as more tech companies come under increasing scrutiny.
As a business owner, it’s essential to keep up with the latest developments in data privacy and ensure that your website’s privacy policies are up to date and compliant with the latest regulations.
If you need help configuring your website policies, don’t hesitate to contact the studio for assistance. If you are more of a do-it-yourself business owner, feel free to use this Termageddon link (affiliate) to receive 10% off your first year’s policy license.
