SPRINGFIELD, Ill.- To help protect the privacy and data of Illinoisans, State Rep. Jaime Andrade Jr., D-Chicago, has introduced the Social Media Data Clean Slate Act that changes the account deletion process on social media accounts and would permanently delete accounts and all data and information connected to it with the click of a button.
“People all over Illinois deserve to know they have real control over their personal information,” said Andrade. “Recently, the Department of Homeland Security has legally requested social media platforms to give over personal information from accounts that have spoken against ICE agents. While freedom of speech still exists, the federal government seems to think they can limit and threaten people for speaking their thoughts and warning others over the real danger: masked men with weapons. This legislation puts consumers first and prevents government and companies from hiding their attempts to get rid of our constitutional rights.”
Andrade’s House Bill 5230 would modernize privacy protections on social media accounts by creating an easier process to be able to delete social media accounts and all the personal information attached to it. It would require social media platforms to be clear about the account deletion process as well as the deletion process for all personal information pertaining to that account, which can be emails, phone numbers, full name and birth dates, locations and pictures.
The bill was introduced as a means to add additional safety precautions and protections to personal information from social media accounts. Shortly after the Department of Homeland Security started to subpoena social media platforms like Google, Meta and Reddit to hand over names, email addresses, telephone numbers and other identifying data from accounts that have criticized ICE raids and agents and given their locations to warn others online.
“I introduced this legislation to protect people’s privacy and personal information,” said Andrade. “Now it’s more prevalent than ever that we need this to be law because of the federal government’s response. This is more than just a change in technology laws; this is about giving people the opportunity to control the privacy in their own lives and leaves that decision in their hands. The federal government should not get to choose when they want and don’t want to follow the laws for their own agenda to target innocent people. Personal information, whether it’s on the internet or not, belongs to the person it came from, not the platform that collected it.”