Democrats’ new bill targets “surveillance advertising”

A new bill – the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act – has been introduced in US Congress by several Democrats, who frame it primarily as a way to prevent disinformation, discrimination, voter suppression, domestic extremism, racial division, but also, finally, privacy violations.

If passed, the bill sponsored by Congress members Anna Eshoo and Jan Schakowsky and Senator Cory Booker – would usher in major changes to the way companies like Facebook and Google operate their digital ad business, which is the core of their financial might. It also concerns data brokers and their role in the targeted ad market.

We obtained a copy of the bill for you here.

The bill seeks to ban many forms of targeted advertising that are based on protected class information like race, gender, religion, and would also outlaw advertising relying on personal data acquired from data brokers.