Innovation, Data, and Commerce

Washington D.C. —  Today, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement on H.R. 3950, the  Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act,  which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 388 - 24: “This consensus legislation will end deceptive ticketing practices that frustrate consumers who simply want to enjoy a concert, show, or sporting event by restoring fairness and transparency to the ticket marketplace. After years of bipartisan work, we will now be able to enhance the customer experience of buying event tickets online. We look forward to continuing to work together to urge quick Senate passage so that we can send it to the President's desk to be signed into law.” The TICKET Act would increase transparency and fairness in the live event ticket marketplace by:  Requiring the total price of an event ticket be displayed upfront, inclusive of all fees Banning the sale of a ticket that a seller does not have (“speculative ticketing”) Guaranteeing refunds for event cancellations and postponements  Requiring clear disclosures and banning deceptive URLS to protect consumers from fraudulent ticketing websites Requiring the Federal Trade Commission study and report on enforcement of the BOTS Act (Pub.L. 114-274)

Washington D.C. — This week, the House of Representatives passed eight bills from the House Energy and Commerce Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee. The bills increase price transparency in ticketing, promote resilient supply chains, enhance product safety standards, and more. Upon House passage, Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) released the following statements: H.R. 4310, the Youth Poisoning Protection Act : “With self-poisonings on the rise since 2017, we must protect children from products with extremely high concentrations of sodium nitrite. I thank Reps. Trahan, Carey, Porter, and Stewart for their crucial legislation that will help prevent sickness or even a tragic loss of life.” H.R. 4814, the Consumer Safety Technology Act : “As emerging technologies like AI and blockchain change rapidly and become engrained in our society, we have an opportunity to use these new tools to improve important product safety protections. I applaud Reps. Soto, Burgess, Trahan, and Guthrie for their leadership to ensure federal agencies stay up to date with new technologies.” H.R. 5390, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act :   “This bipartisan legislation helps strengthen our domestic supply chain by reviewing where we can bolster American manufacturing and become less reliant on China. I commend Reps. Miller-Meeks, Bucshon, Spanberger, Kuster, and Schrier for their important work to help win the future and beat China.” technologies.” H.R. 1797, the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act : “If lithium-ion batteries are not safely used, charged, and stored, they are prone to starting fires—threatening people’s safety. This much-needed legislation will create product safety standards for these batteries, including when coming in from China. I commend Reps. Torres, Garbarino, Clarke, Ryan, Bowman, D’Esposito, Espaillat, and Goldman for their leadership to protect Americans from these dangers.” H.R. 6572, the Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2023 :  “By supporting competitiveness in emerging technologies like blockchains, America—not China—will lead the next era of innovation and entrepreneurship. I commend Reps. Bucshon and Blunt Rochester for championing this legislation to ensure our regulatory environment keeps pace with constantly evolving technology.” H.R. 6571, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2023 : “American supply chain resiliency is key to the development and competitiveness of U.S. production and manufacturing. I thank Reps. Bucshon and Blunt Rochester for their bipartisan legislation to strengthen our supply chains and help cement our leadership in the development and deployment of emerging H.R. 6132, the Awning Safety Act of 2023 :   “The Awning Safety Act is key to creating important safety standards for retractable awnings. I thank Reps. Balderson and Castor for their bipartisan leadership on this legislation to improve product safety and reduce the use of potentially dangerous awnings, preventing injury or even a tragic loss of life."  NOTE: Chair Rodgers, Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) also released the following joint statement on H.R. 3950, the Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act : “This consensus legislation will end deceptive ticketing practices that frustrate consumers who simply want to enjoy a concert, show, or sporting event by restoring fairness and transparency to the ticket marketplace. After years of bipartisan work, we will now be able to enhance the customer experience of buying event tickets online. We look forward to continuing to work together to urge quick Senate passage so that we can send it to the President's desk to be signed into law.”

It’s National Small Business Week! Small businesses are the engine of our economy—leading the way in American innovation and ingenuity. In fact, small businesses are responsible for 70 percent of American jobs. To win the future and lead the global economy, we must advance policies to help America’s small businesses be successful. One way to do this is with a national data privacy and security standard, like the bipartisan American Privacy Rights Act .  Right now, growing small businesses and startups are forced to navigate a patchwork of state data privacy laws. 16 states have privacy laws that regulate the commercial collection and use of people’s data.  Ensuring compliance with multiple state laws can be costly and time consuming — forcing companies to divert valuable resources that could be used to improve or grow their business. It’s estimated that, without a national data privacy standard, U.S. small businesses could pay upwards of $20-23 billion annually trying to comply with a patchwork of state laws. Startups and small businesses simply cannot afford to comply with 50 different versions of rules. That’s why we’re leading on the American Privacy Rights Act to create a clear and consistent data privacy standard across all 50 states. Our bipartisan draft legislation strikes the right balance by giving Americans more control over where their personal information goes and who can sell it, while making sure small businesses and entrepreneurs are able to continue thriving and innovating in the U.S. 137 of the world’s 194 countries have national privacy laws. The United States does not. If we wait any longer, the larger the patchwork of state laws will grow and hurt American businesses, deter companies from operating and innovating in America, and undermine our ability to influence global standards to benefit the U.S. The American Privacy Rights Act ensures businesses have one clear set of rules to operate under— so a business will have the same standards in California as it does in Washington or Virginia. To further support small businesses and entrepreneurs, the American Privacy Rights Act exempts those that do not sell their customer’s data for profit, those with an annual revenue of $40 million or less, and those that do not collect, process, retain, or transfer the data of 200,000 customers or fewer from the requirements of the bill. The American Privacy Rights Act is focused on the business of data, not Main Street business. It’s past time for the United States to have one uniform, comprehensive data privacy standard that empowers small businesses to grow and thrive. Congress has been searching for a solution on this issue for decades, and now we have it with the American Privacy Rights Act .

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), E&C Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chair Bob Latta (R-OH), E&C Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), E&C Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, launched an investigation into grants made to an AI scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).  The Chairs made requests for documents to UCLA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).  BACKGROUND :  On November 1, 2023, a Newsweek investigation found that the federal government awarded at least $30 million in federal research grants led by Mr. Song-Chun Zhu, who is now “at the forefront of China's race to develop the most advanced artificial intelligence.”  The investigation further revealed the NSF and DOD continued funding Mr. Zhu even as he “set up a parallel institute near Wuhan, took a position at a Beijing university whose primary goal is to support Chinese military research, and joined a CCP ‘talent plan’ whose members are tasked with transferring knowledge and technology to China.”  In particular, Newsweek found that the project once led by Mr. Zhu received $1.2 million in two grants from the Office of Naval Research in 2021, the year following his departure to China.  KEY LETTER EXCERPT:   “Mr. Zhu has openly discussed how if China takes the lead in developing a ‘truly universal intelligence,’ then it will ‘become the winner of the international technology competition.’ He has also referred to the AI race as being equivalent in military importance to the race for the atomic bomb. In a period of intensifying geopolitical competition with the CCP, ceasing federal government support for Chinese AI development is a critical national security imperative.”  CLICK HERE to read the letter to UCLA Chancellor Gener Block.  CLICK HERE to read the letter to NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan.  CLICK HERE to read the letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. 

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), on behalf of subcommittee Republicans, sent a letter to China-based e-commerce companies raising concerns over data privacy and security risks for American users, the counterfeit products flourishing on these platforms, and reports of horrific human rights abuses.   BACKGROUND:   China-based e-commerce marketplaces, like TikTok, TaoBao, Pinduoduo, Temu, Alibaba, AliExpress, and Shein, have recently increased in popularity in the U.S.  The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) requires that all Chinese tech companies allow the CCP to access all user information, raising serious data privacy and security concerns for Americans using these platforms .  These marketplaces commonly offer “knock off” versions of products, which often undermine intellectual property laws.  Furthermore, reports have alleged that some of the sellers on these platforms may have committed egregious human rights violations, including the use of forced labor and the selling of products, like wigs, that use hair from Uyghur women forced to shave their heads.  KEY LETTER EXCERPTS:   “The rise in popularity of apps and marketplaces like, TikTok, TaoBao, Pinduoduo, Temu, Alibaba, AliExpress, and Shein, has resulted in sharp public scrutiny regarding the business practices of these companies.”  […]  “Lax policies and practices are leaving American’s data at risk of theft, leading consumers to unknowingly purchase counterfeit goods. In addition to these lax policies and practices, it is important to ensure that supply chains are free of forced labor.”  The Chairs asked companies to respond to the following questions by January 12, 2024:   Please outline the steps taken to delete personal data when requested or ordered by a user, the parent of a user who is a minor, or others authorized to make such a request.  What protections do you have in place to prevent children from spending large amounts of money on your platform?  What data practices do you require of your third-parties?  What data practices do you require of your service providers?  Please individually confirm you are not collecting or compiling the following information:  Religious beliefs;  Political opinions;  Genetic data;  Biometric data;  Data concerning health;  Data concerning racial or ethnic origin;  Data about minors.  Similar to ByteDance, does your company have an internal CCP Committee?  Please document all meetings, communication, or interactions you—or any other senior company executives—have had with members of the Chinese government or the CCP while serving as officers.   Can you provide a complete software bill of materials for all components and components of the components in the mobile app? Please include the developer information and country of origin for all listed components.  Where does your company store the signing key for iOS and Android applications? How is access to the signing keys managed, and who are the developers with access to the signing keys for the mobile application?  Please detail the data security and protections you have to prevent unauthorized access to such signing key.  How frequently is your mobile app or backend security tested? Are they tested by US personnel? To what security standard are they tested?  How frequently is user location data transmitted? Within how many feet is this location data measured?  What compliance procedures do you have in place to ensure compliance with the INFORM Consumers Act ?  We have heard employees of companies associated with the Chinese government, such as TikTok, disagree with notion that Uyghur people are facing a genocide in the Xinjian region of China. Do you agree that there is a genocide occurring in the Xinjiang region of China?  Are you aware of the PRC’s persecution of the Uyghur people, including the reports that Uyghur women’s heads have been shaved to be used for products that are shipped into the U.S.?  Are there products using natural hair that originate in the Xinjiang region available on your e-commerce marketplace?  Are there any other products that have originated from, or contain components or material that originated from the Xinjiang region?  Given the human rights abuses occurring in the Xinjiang region, do you require any additional steps or increased scrutiny for products coming from such region?   If yes, please explain.   Can you unequivocally state that your supply chain is free of forced labor?  What steps are you taking to ensure that your supply chain does not include forced labor?   CLICK HERE to read the full letter to TikTok.  CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Whaleco Inc.  CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Alibaba.  CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Shein. 

Letter comes after Eventbrite censored conservative event while permitting pro-Hamas events Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chair Bob Latta (R-OH), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, & Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), along with Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX) today wrote Eventbrite President and CEO Julia Hartz. The letter raises concerns over Eventbrite’s enforcement practices. BACKGROUND :  On October 23, 2023, Eventbrite removed an event listing titled, “Protecting Women’s Sports with Riley Gaines,” from its platform.    This event was intended to be a public forum for participants, including female athletes, to express issues, experiences, and consequences of biological males competing in their competitions.  Eventbrite listed “Rahm 4 Palestine (GAZA): Talk & Dinner,” scheduled for October 27, featuring a headline speaker who, after the October 7 Israeli massacre, using his verified X account, publicly posted antisemitic messaging that was viewed more than 1 million times.  A sold-out conference scheduled for November 10 in Washington, D.C., “Palestine Center 2023 Annual Conference,” was promoted on Eventbrite.    In advertising this event, organizers referred to the country of Israel as “Israeli apartheid” under Eventbrite’s “About this event” tab.  KEY LETTER EXCERPTS :  “In the last few weeks, Eventbrite, it seems, has selectively enforced its terms of service by removing some events while allowing potentially violative events to remain on the site. We raise the issues below not to dictate or remove events and users from your marketplace, but to better understand your Community Guidelines enforcement process .”  […]  “We struggle to comprehend the rationale for removing this event, while other Eventbrite listings that seemingly violate several of Eventbrite’s Community Guidelines remain live, including some that feature speakers espousing allegiance to entities designated by the U.S. Government as foreign terrorist organizations.”  […]  “Because Gaines’s promotion of the widely held view to preserve women’s athletics starkly contrasts with events on Eventbrite featuring speakers sympathetic to mass murder, this leads us to wonder if pro-terrorist and antisemitic events and event speakers do not plainly violate Eventbrite’s prohibition of content that would ‘discriminate against, harass, disparage, threaten, incite violence against, or otherwise target individuals or groups based on their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, religion, national origin.’ We seek information on what metrics Eventbrite uses to enforce its Community Guidelines on selected issues such as women’s athletics versus terrorism and antisemitism .”    CLICK HERE to read the full letter.