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Intel Releases Draft Federal Privacy Bill

One strange story to emerge as part of the recent midterm elections was Intel’s release of a piece of federal legislation. This story got somewhat buried amid all the talk of migrant caravans, healthcare reform and the Democrats gaining control of the house. However, it is worth reflecting on why, exactly, a company devoted to making microchips feels it necessary to weigh in on a political debate.

Intel’s document, to be precise, is a ‘draft’ Federal Privacy Bill, proposing a number of principles for information management that can be applied to tech companies across the US and outlining mechanisms for the enforcement of them. It is intended, Intel has stated, to spark debate about what such a bill could contain.

On the surface, the release of the draft seems very strange. Federal bills are not typically drafted by private companies, after all. Then there is the fact that Intel’s primary business is manufacturing chips, and as such, the company doesn’t actually collect much customer data itself. Why, then, is a company that’s unlikely to be affected by a federal privacy bill releasing ideas as to what could be in it?

Why Now?

Explaining the decision to release the draft bill requires looking at the broader context of privacy in US law and society and at the companies that Intel does most of its business with.

At the broadest level, it is worth noting that in recent years privacy has been a growing concern for many consumers. Even five years ago, technologies such as encryption, TOR browsers and VPN services were regarded as niche, subject to vulnerabilities like zero-day exploits. Now, even a quick Google search for privacy protection solutions will return thousands of websites and service providers, offering a wide range of tools both commercial and open source.

These concerns (Read more...)