Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) has introduced a bill to amend the Privacy Act of 1974 in response to expansions in technology, increased security needs, and growth of the data “market.” The Privacy Act Modernization for the Information Age of 2011 would create a federal chief privacy officer and a government-wide Chief Privacy Officers Council to help “fill wide gaps in…privacy leadership and ensure consistent development of policies and guidance on the Privacy Act across agencies,” Akaka said. It would also update penalties for Privacy Act violations and overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in Doe v. Chao, which held that, “an individual has to show actual damages resulted from an intentional or willful improper disclosure of personal information in order to receive an award.”
