美国国家公共电台 NPR Do Not Sell My Personal Information: California Eyes Data Privacy Measure

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

California is also taking on the issue of online privacy. An initiative headed for November's ballot¹ would be one of the broadest online privacy regulations in the U.S. and would likely affect standards throughout the country, as NPR's Laura Sydell reports.

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE²: Alastair Mactaggart is a very successful San Francisco real estate developer, and he recalls the moment that turned him into a privacy advocate. He asked a Google engineer at a cocktail³ party if he should be worried about his privacy.

ALASTAIR MACTAGGART: And he said, oh, if you just knew how much we knew about you, you'd be really worried.

SYDELL: That worried Mactaggart. He is now one of the biggest backers of California's Consumer Privacy Act of 2018. He put his own money on the line - more than $2 million to get the act on the ballot. The ballot measure got hundreds of thousands of signatures. Mactaggart says he and a small group of his neighbors consulted with academics, lawyers and technologists to write a law they hope will curb⁴ privacy abuses.

MACTAGGART: What people are concerned about is misuse⁵ of their data. And so we give the people the right to say stop selling my information.

SYDELL: If the act is approved by voters, businesses will be required to have a clearly visible home page link that lets users opt⁶ out of having their data sold or shared. Mactaggart says the act does not prevent Facebook or Google or your local newspaper from collecting your data and using it to target ads to you. You just have a right to stop companies that share or sell your data. Companies must disclose the categories of information they have on you, like home addresses, employment information, characteristics, like race, gender⁷. The law has the backing of consumer advocacy groups like Consumers Union. Justin Brookman is the director of consumer privacy and technology policy there. He says Europe's new law is stricter.

JUSTIN BROOKMAN: This ballot initiative is actually pretty modest. In some ways, I wish it would go further.

SYDELL: Still, if this act passes, it will be one of the broadest privacy laws in the U.S. because it will affect anyone who goes on the Internet in California. And because it's California, the fifth-largest economy in the world, Brookman thinks many companies will implement⁸ the same standards nationally.

BROOKMAN: Most companies aren't going to try to configure their systems to guess when an IP address is based in California. They'll say, you know what? This isn't that hard to do. We're just going to do it for the entire country.

SYDELL: Opposition⁹ to the initiative by tech companies is fierce. California is the home of Silicon¹⁰ Valley where a lot of the companies are based. Robert Callahan is the vice¹¹ president of state government affairs for the Internet Association. It represents Facebook, Google, Netflix and many other companies.

ROBERT CALLAHAN: And every industry sector¹² who has looked at this initiative considers it a very serious threat to the ability to do business in California.

SYDELL: Callahan says the bill imposes harsh financial penalties on companies that violate it, even if they make a small mistake.

CALLAHAN: Whether or not any harm or damages were received, the companies are strictly¹³ liable in thousands of dollars per violation¹⁴.

SYDELL: Proponents¹⁵ of the California initiative say the act gives judges some discretion¹⁶ on the size of the fines. But Callahan doesn't think a privacy law should be written by advocates like Mactaggart and put on a ballot.

CALLAHAN: Without any sort of process, you know, the proponents came up with this law that he's suggesting should be the law of the land without any sort of public vetting¹⁷ or scrutiny¹⁸. And we think that's irresponsible and dangerous.

SYDELL: Supporters of the act say neither the U.S. Congress nor the California legislature have acted, so they're taking matters into their own hands. The initiative hasn't been officially certified¹⁹ by the state, but given that it has more than enough signatures, it's nearly certain to be in front of the California voters in November. Laura Sydell, NPR News.

1 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

4 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

5 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

6 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

7 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

11 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

12 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

13 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

14 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

15 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

16 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

17 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

18 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

19 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。