Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Online Privacy Act of 2026
A Democratic bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Online Privacy Act of 2026 establishes individual rights regarding the privacy of personal information and sets security requirements for covered entities. It creates the Digital Privacy Agency to enforce these new privacy rights, which include the access, correction, deletion, and portability of personal data. The bill imposes strict obligations on entities regarding data minimization and prohibits certain processing practices. Additionally, the act includes a criminal prohibition on doxxing and establishes an independent agency to oversee digital privacy enforcement. The law provides legal recourse through district courts and empowers State attorneys general and private individuals to seek damages or injunctive relief. The legislation is set to take effect one year after its enactment.
Yes· 3 of 23
- Scored +10
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?
The bill establishes extensive new individual rights regarding the control and protection of personal information through agency enforcement and private rights of action.
- Scored +7
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?
The bill establishes a Digital Privacy Agency with strong enforcement powers to protect individual privacy rights and information security.
- Scored +6
Would LGBTQ people be better off under this?
The bill explicitly protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Individual Data Control: The bill grants people specific rights to access, correct, delete, and move their personal information, which empowers individuals over their own digital footprint (Sec. s 101, 102, 103, and 104).
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Protection Against Automated Bias: Individuals have the right to request a human review of decisions made solely through automated processing if those decisions could cause significant privacy harms (Sec. 105).
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Increased Autonomy in Personalization: The act requires entities to get express affirmative consent before using personal information to create or improve behavioral personalization algorithms (Sec. 106).
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Prevention of Discrimination: The bill prohibits entities from using personal information to discriminate against people in critical areas like employment, housing, education, and health care (Sec. 207).
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Enhanced Protection Against Harmful Behavior: The bill creates a criminal penalty for doxxing, specifically targeting those who disclose personal information with the intent to threaten, intimidate, or harass others (Sec. 5).
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Data Security and Breach Notification: It requires entities to implement reasonable security policies and mandates that they notify individuals of data breaches that could cause privacy harms (Sec. 212 and 213).
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Right to Petition for Modification: Individuals or entities can file a petition with the Digital Privacy Agency to modify or set aside a civil investigative demand based on constitutional or legal rights (Section 401(f)).
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Protection Against Insolvency: The Digital Privacy Agency can issue temporary cease-and-desist orders if a violation is likely to cause a person to become insolvent or prejudice individual interests (Section 402(c)(1)).
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State Enforcement: State attorneys general or privacy regulators can bring civil actions on behalf of residents to enjoin violations or compel compliance (Section 404(a)).
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Private Right of Action: Aggrieved persons have the right to bring civil actions for injunctive relief or damages in a court of competent jurisdiction (Section 405(a)-(b)).
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Nonprofit Representation: Individuals can appoint a nonprofit organization to lodge complaints and represent their interests in privacy and information security matters (Section 405(c)).
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Whistleblower Incenties: Individuals who report violations through the Director can receive a portion of the resulting civil penalties (Section 408(b)).
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Standardized Research and Education: NIST is tasked with developing privacy risk management frameworks and carrying out public awareness activities to help individuals understand privacy risks and rights (Section 601; Section 602).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Potential Service Disruptions: While the bill provides for providing services without behavioral personalization, it notes that if a core aspect of a product cannot function without such personalization, an entity may deny the use of that product or service (Sec. 106).
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Burden of Identity Verification: The ability to exercise rights may be subject to identity verification and authentication procedures, which could pose a hurdle for some individuals (Sec. 109).
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Information Loss via Deletion: While the right to deletion is a benefit, the bill also allows entities to deny such requests if the information is necessary to complete a transaction or perform a contract initiated previously (Sec. s 103 and 110).
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Cease-and-Desist Orders: The Digital Privacy Agency can issue orders that require a person to cease certain acts and take affirmative action to correct violations (Section 402(b)(1)(D)).
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Temporary Orders: The Agency may issue temporary orders that become effective immediately upon service, requiring a person to act to prevent insolvency or other conditions (Section 402(c)(1)).
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Civil Money Penalties: Violators may be required to pay penalties based on the number of individuals whose personal information was affected (Section 406(c)(2)).
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Legal Costs: In civil actions brought by the Agency or State officials, the prevailing party may recover its costs (Section 406(b)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would LGBTQ people be better off under this? — The bill explicitly protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Would Black Americans be better off under this? — The bill protects against discriminatory processing based on race. Would Asian Americans be better off under this? — The bill protects against discriminatory processing based on race or national origin. Would children be better off under this? — The bill's privacy protections help secure the digital footprints of all individuals, including minors. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — The bill protects against discriminatory processing based on race or national origin. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — The bill provides individuals with greater control over their personal data used by commercial entities. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — The bill protects against discriminatory processing based on race or national origin. Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — The bill prohibits discriminatory processing based on disability status. Would white Americans be better off under this? — The bill protects against discriminatory processing based on race. Would women be better off under this? — The bill prohibits discriminatory processing based on sex. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill prohibits discriminatory processing in critical economic opportunities like housing and credit while providing legal avenues for seeking damages. Would students be better off under this? — The bill maintains existing privacy protections related to educational records. Would union members be better off under this? — The bill includes protections for whistleblowers reporting privacy violations.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow the gap between how men and women are treated? — The bill prohibits discriminatory processing of personal information based on sex and gender identity. Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The bill prohibits discriminatory processing of personal information based on protected class status, including race. Does this expand the rights of people with disabilities? — The bill prohibits discriminatory processing of personal information based on disability status and maintains existing protections for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Does this change how police departments operate? — The bill establishes a criminal prohibition on doxxing to prevent targeted harassment.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this protect people from being watched or searched? — The bill establishes extensive new individual rights regarding the control and protection of personal information through agency enforcement and private rights of action. Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill creates a new Digital Privacy Agency to oversee and enforce privacy standards through regular reporting and a public complaint database.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — The bill establishes a Digital Privacy Agency with strong enforcement powers to protect individual privacy rights and information security.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into scientific research? — The bill funds research through NIST and the National Science Foundation to develop privacy-preserving technologies.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this better protect the country from computer attacks? — The bill mandates reasonable information security policies and requirements for covered entities.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The bill prohibits discriminatory processing of personal information in healthcare opportunities.
- 3/19/2026
- Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Introduced in House