Apple and Google Panelists Highlight Differences on Privacy Philosophies

Apple Federal Government Affairs Director Nick Rossi discussed the overlap between privacy and kids’ safety, which several panelists said is intertwined. Collecting only the data needed to deliver a service is a key privacy principle, he said: “It has substantial safety and security benefits. Because if we’re not holding that data, then the risk of a data breach or some other compromise is much less. And so that’s one of the things we try to underscore with policymakers, and it’s also one of the concerns that we flag around some of the legislative proposals that are out there.”

Google U.S. Policy Lead for Privacy and Data Strategy Jared Bomberg discussed the impact of privacy laws on modern technology like AI agents, systems Google uses to collect data and make complex automated decisions. Data minimization requirements and restrictions on collection of sensitive data “certainly” impact training models for the technology, he said. He noted policymakers are thinking more and more about regulating automated decisions.

There can’t be privacy legislation discussions without addressing kids’ safety issues, said Entertainment Software Rating Board Senior Vice President Stacy Feurer. She noted one of the original purposes of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was to protect children from online predators, which is still a major threat today. Privacy, data security and kids’ safety are all “mushed together,” she said: Strong privacy and data security practices around data collection, retention and third-party sharing can be combined to thread the needle on all those issues.