1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I urge you to vote against the SECURE Data Act. While we desperately need comprehensive federal privacy legislation, this bill would actually harm consumers by rolling back existing protections rather than strengthening them. The SECURE Data Act is weaker than most of the 21 state privacy laws already in place. Most troubling: it would preempt hundreds of existing state protections—eliminating better standards that states have already established for safeguarding personal data, biometric information, and location data. Congress should set a federal floor that allows states to build stronger protections, not eliminate them. The bill also fails consumers in critical ways: - No Private Right of Action: Consumers cannot sue companies to enforce their own privacy rights. With underfunded federal regulators unable to catch every violation, this handcuffs enforcement. Companies need to face real consequences from the people they harm. - Weak Defaults: Rather than preventing invasive data practices by default, the bill forces consumers to opt out of targeted advertising, data sales, and profiling. Effective privacy laws use opt-in defaults—requiring companies to get your permission first. The burden should not fall on individuals to navigate confusing settings. - Inadequate Data Minimization: The bill merely restricts companies to data uses they've "disclosed" in privacy policies. Since almost no one reads these policies, companies can justify almost anything. Real data minimization means companies can only use data necessary to provide the service you requested. - Loopholes Everywhere: The bill's narrow definitions of "sale," "biometric information," and "profiling" create easy workarounds. Companies could exploit these exceptions to continue surveillance practices the law supposedly restricts. - No Limits on AI: The bill explicitly allows companies to collect and use our personal data to train AI systems without restriction—regardless of our privacy preferences. We need federal privacy legislation, but this bill would be a major step backward. Strong consumer privacy protections should allow private enforcement, establish opt-in defaults, give states room to innovate, and close corporate loopholes—not eliminate what we've already achieved. Please vote against the SECURE Data Act and support truly protective privacy legislation.