Top lawmaker shares 'biggest fear' about her kids' data online as Congress eyes federal privacy rules

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Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said it is her "biggest fear" as a parent for her children’s sensitive data to be exploited online, and she is aiming to quell those fears for herself and millions of Americans with a new federal data privacy standard.

"There’s very dangerous activity online, and data collection is foundationally how these algorithms are developed and then ultimately used to target children, but also people in general," Rodgers told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"This is really my biggest fear as a parent, having three school-aged children, other friends who have had kids that have been targeted online. We know that these algorithms have been targeting children with dangerous content, targeted advertising that leads to dangerous life-threatening behaviors."

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House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is working on a new federal data privacy standard. (Getty Images)

Rodgers cited reports about predatory groups and malign actors who target children on social media, usually connecting with them via the wealth of personal data floating online.

"We've all heard way too many stories of the eating disorders, the mental health issues that are increasing, self-harm. Unfortunately, kids have been connected with drug dealers or been sold pills that are tainted with fentanyl and died," she said.

The Washington Republican teamed up with Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., to unveil a bipartisan framework aimed at giving Americans more control over personal data they share online and empowering them to take action when that sensitive information falls prey to bad actors.

It would also minimize the amount of sensitive data, like location information and biometrics, that companies can collect without expressed permission.

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House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers teamed up with Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., pictured here, to unveil the bipartisan framework. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

"This bill has extremely strong accountability measures," she said, adding that it would give the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general the ability to go after those malign forces.

It also gives people the right to sue if a company does not respect their wishes and continues to harvest and sell their data without their permission, and if a data breach or hack caused "clear harm," Rodgers explained.

Rodgers told Fox News Digital to expect a hearing this week as the legislation begins to make its way through Congress.

The ambitious proposal would set the first-ever federal data privacy standard if passed. However, the issue of data privacy has been around for a long time – almost as long as the internet itself.

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House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers expressed concern over how Americans' user data could be exploited online, particularly children's sensitive information. (CyberGuy.com)

"It is imperative that we move this bill. It's been decades that Congress has been grappling with a privacy data security law, and it is past time for us to put people in control of their data," she said.

Rodgers added that it also sets Congress up to deal with future data privacy issues that could come with the rapid advancement of technology like artificial intelligence (AI).

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"This is foundational for AI. For example, there's a lot of buzz right now with AI and these large datasets that are going to be collected – massive amounts of data, and there's no limitation right now on a company's ability to collect all kinds of data sensitive data on Americans," she said. "Establishing a national privacy standard is going to be foundational to AI, but also, it's really important to protecting our kids online…parents and all Americans know that we need this."