The Insights Association (IA), the leading nonprofit trade association for the market research and analytics industry, had a mixed reaction to new draft comprehensive privacy legislation proposed in the U.S. House and Senate.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-05) just proposed the American Privacy Rights Act.
“The Insights Association and the U.S. insights industry support comprehensive federal privacy legislation that would provide strong protection for all American consumers,” said Howard Fienberg, Senior VP Advocacy for IA. “To fundamentally advance the way consumer privacy and data security are protected, a national privacy bill needs to replace the current conflicting patchwork of 15+ state privacy laws and raise the bar for consumer welfare, while allowing for the continued benefits of insights and analytics to flow to all consumers and the broader economy.”
Fienberg concluded, “We appreciate this proposal for specifically designating market research as a permissible purpose, among other positive points. As we continue to review this lengthy draft, we will share our analyses with IA members, and help Senators and Representatives of all parties to understand and address our various concerns with the bill language.”
UPDATE: Read IA's full analysis of the APRA, only for IA members.
About the Author
Based in Washington, DC, Howard is the Insights Association's lobbyist for the marketing research and data analytics industry, focusing primarily on consumer privacy and data security, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), tort reform, and the funding and integrity of the decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Howard has more than two decades of public policy experience. Before the Insights Association, he worked in Congress as senior legislative staffer for then-Representatives Christopher Cox (CA-48) and Cliff Stearns (FL-06). He also served more than four years with a science policy think tank, working to improve the understanding of scientific and social research and methodology among journalists and policymakers.
Howard is also co-director of The Census Project, a 900+ member coalition in support of a fair and accurate Census and ACS.
He has also served previously on the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics and and the Association of Government Relations Professionals.
Howard has an MA International Relations from the University of Essex in England and a BA Honors Political Studies from Trent University in Canada, and has obtained the Certified Association Executive (CAE), Professional Lobbying Certificate (PLC) and the Public Policy Certificate (PPC).
When not running advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard enjoys hockey, NFL football, sci-fi and horror movies, playing with his dog, and spending time with family and friends.