US senator Gilibrand announces draft Data Protection Act

The US Senator for New York, Kirsten Gilibrand, has announced the introduction a draft legislation, the Data Protection Act, aiming to establish a new independent data protection agency in the United States. According to Naked Security, the law would apply to any company with revenues over 25 million dollars, or which handles the personal data of 50,000 or more individuals, and would not pre-empt US state laws. According to the Verge, in addition to its privacy investigations, the new agency would collaborate directly with the industry to promote the development of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) that “minimize or even eliminate the collection of personal data.”