Small Businesses Frustrated After Flawed Data Privacy Bill Clears House Subcommittee

Washington, DC: Small business owners today expressed serious concerns with several provisions in the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) after the bill advanced out of the House Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce. 

“Small businesses need a national data privacy law that protects consumers and helps small businesses thrive in today’s digital economy,” said Kevin Deneen, co-founder of Moterra Campervans, in Jackson, WY. “Unfortunately, APRA delivers a blow to small businesses by overregulating how we, and our advertising and marketing partners, can collect and use data. The bill also allows for a single person to sue a business, leading to baseless and expensive lawsuits that will cost us thousands in legal fees and lost time.”

“I make most of my revenue from ad publishing,” said app publisher Jason Stock of Spokane, WA. “If my ad partners can’t collect the data necessary to show advertising with us is valuable and effective, businesses won’t advertise in our app; they’ll spend their money advertising elsewhere. That would seriously jeopardize our revenues–and our entire business model.”

“APRA would prevent small businesses from knowing and communicating with their customers in the personalized way that customers expect,” said Salil Gandhi, a digital marketing expert from Chicago, IL. “It would also stop businesses and their marketing partners from collecting measurement data to help optimize ad and website performance. These activities are essential for any small business with an online presence, and it’s imperative that Congress address these important problems with the bill.”