The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy is a subcommittee within the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. It was formerly named the Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection, the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety, the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security, and the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security before getting its current title at the beginning of the 119th United States Congress.
Jurisdiction The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security is responsible for consumer affairs, consumer protection, and consumer product safety; product liability; property and casualty insurance; manufacturing and workforce development; sports-related matters; and data privacy, security, and protection. The subcommittee also conducts oversight on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), as well as manufacturing and trade related matters within the Department of Commerce.
Members, 119th Congress MajorityMinority Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee, Chair John Thune, South Dakota Deb Fischer, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas Todd Young, Indiana John Curtis, Utah Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia John Hickenlooper, Colorado, Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Brian Schatz, Hawaii Ed Markey, Massachusetts Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware Ex officio Ted Cruz, Texas Maria Cantwell, Washington
Historical subcommittee rosters 118th Congress MajorityMinority John Hickenlooper, Colorado, Chair Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Brian Schatz, Hawaii Ed Markey, Massachusetts Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Peter Welch, Vermont Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee, Ranking Member Deb Fischer, Nebraska Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming Dan Sullivan, Alaska Jerry Moran, Kansas Ted Budd, North Carolina Todd Young, Indiana Ex officio Maria Cantwell, Washington Ted Cruz, Texas 117th Congress MajorityMinority Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut, Chair Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Brian Schatz, Hawaii Ed Markey, Massachusetts Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee, Ranking Member John Thune, South Dakota Roy Blunt, Missouri Jerry Moran, Kansas Mike Lee, Utah Todd Young, Indiana Ex officio Maria Cantwell, Washington Roger Wicker, Mississippi 116th Congress
MajorityMinority Jerry Moran, Kansas, Chair John Thune, South Dakota Deb Fischer, Nebraska Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia Mike Lee, Utah Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Todd Young, Indiana Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut, Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Brian Schatz, Hawaii Ed Markey, Massachusetts Tom Udall, New Mexico Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona Jacky Rosen, Nevada Ex officio Roger Wicker, Mississippi Maria Cantwell, Washington
Notable activities
2021 Facebook whistleblower hearing Following the 2021 Facebook leak controversy, the subcommittee under then-chairman Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) held a hearing titled "Protecting Kids Online: Testimony from a Facebook Whistleblower". Held on October 5, 2021, the hearing featured testimony from Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager who disclosed tens of thousands of internal documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and The Wall Street Journal.
During the hearing, Haugen testified that the social media platform has harmed young users' mental health and facilitated the spread of dangerous misinformation. Haugen's testimony was praised by a bipartisan group of Senators, including Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee.
References
External links Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security