Utah Senate Committee Clears Social Data Sharing Bill

"This bill fundamentally changes the way that we interact with social media and the internet," said Rep. Doug Fiefia (R), bill sponsor. "For years, we've been served on a silver platter, where big tech has used our data to inform an algorithm and then [sells] it to advertisers for billions of dollars."

HB-418 puts users and consumers back in the driver's seat, Fiefia said, by letting them delete and correct personal data and share information freely across platforms, among other provisions.

Former U.S. House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, now co-chair of the Council for Responsible Social Media, supported the bill because it will protect kids from a harmful algorithm, he said.

Eli Tillemann, representing a group of students from Brigham Young University, testified in favor of the measure. "If we want to fix the internet's information economy, us social media users, we need better options," he said. "Enabling data portability like this puts control back in our hands, ensures that we can choose the companies that deserve our trust."

Paul Allen, who runs an AI studio called Soar, also testified in favor, since he said the legislation gives control of data back to its owners. "At its core, HB-418 mandates social networks provide users with the ability to download their data and ensures interoperability," he said. "It recognizes that individuals are the true owners of the data. This will encourage corporations to treat their users with more respect and lead to more innovation."

TechNet opposed the bill. Ruthie Barko, executive director for the central U.S., said the measure conflicts with the Utah Consumer Data Privacy Act.