R Street urges FTC to pull back cybersecurity rule, focus on data security within existing authority

The R Street Institute says the Federal Trade Commission can take steps to protect consumer data but that a sweeping regulatory proposal exceeds the FTC’s authority and should be pulled back and await congressional action on data privacy and security.

“At the outset, we appreciate the FTC’s interest in this area. However, we believe the [FTC’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking] is premature and too expansive in scope. This is especially true since Congress is actively considering a comprehensive federal...