Promoting Digital Privacy Technologies Act
Latest action (8 Dec 2020): Introduced
What this bill does
S. 4981, the Promoting Digital Privacy Technologies Act, would direct federal agencies to support research and coordination on “privacy enhancing technologies”—tools such as anonymization, pseudonymization, differential privacy methods, synthetic data, and secure multi-party computation that protect personal data. The bill directs the National Science Foundation to fund merit-reviewed research in this area, amends existing cybersecurity research law to include privacy enhancing technologies and confidentiality as a covered topic, and requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy to coordinate with NSF, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Federal Trade Commission to advance these technologies. It also directs NIST to gather input from public, private, and academic stakeholders—including health agencies—and to help develop voluntary, consensus-based guidance for using such technologies.
The bill primarily affects federal research agencies (NSF, NIST, OSTP, FTC) and, indirectly, researchers, technology developers, and organizations that collect or analyze personal data, by promoting tools intended to reduce privacy risks in data use. It does not create new regulations or penalties for private companies; it focuses on research funding, coordination, and voluntary guidance. Within two years of enactment, the responsible agencies would be required to report to relevant congressional committees on research progress and policy recommendations.
The bill was introduced in the Senate on December 8, 2020, by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto with Senator Deb Fischer as a cosponsor, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. It did not receive a vote before the end of the 116th Congress, meaning it did not become law and would need to be reintroduced in a later Congress to be considered again.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
This bill was introduced on December 8, 2020, in a previous session of Congress, but it did not receive a vote.
Common questions
- What does S. 4981 do?
- S. 4981, the Promoting Digital Privacy Technologies Act, would direct federal agencies to support research and coordination on “privacy enhancing technologies”—tools such as anonymization, pseudonymization, differential privacy methods, synthetic data, and secure multi-party computation that protect personal data. The bill directs the National Science Foundation to fund merit-reviewed research in this area, amends existing cybersecurity research law to include privacy enhancing technologies and confidentiality as a covered topic, and requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy to coordinate with NSF, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Federal Trade Commission to advance these technologies. It also directs NIST to gather input from public, private, and academic stakeholders—including health agencies—and to help develop voluntary, consensus-based guidance for using such technologies. The bill primarily affects federal research agencies (NSF, NIST, OSTP, FTC) and, indirectly, researchers, technology developers, and organizations that collect or analyze personal data, by promoting tools intended to reduce privacy risks in data use. It does not create new regulations or penalties for private companies; it focuses on research funding, coordination, and voluntary guidance. Within two years of enactment, the responsible agencies would be required to report to relevant congressional committees on research progress and policy recommendations. The bill was introduced in the Senate on December 8, 2020, by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto with Senator Deb Fischer as a cosponsor, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. It did not receive a vote before the end of the 116th Congress, meaning it did not become law and would need to be reintroduced in a later Congress to be considered again.
- Has S. 4981 become law?
- Not yet. As of 8 Dec 2020, S. 4981 is introduced.
- Who sponsored S. 4981?
- S. 4981 was sponsored by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto [D-NV] (Democrat-NV), with 0 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on S. 4981?
- Introduced (8 Dec 2020).
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