Rep. Lofgren Introduces Online Privacy Act to Create New Digital Protection Agency
The Online Privacy Act of 2026 is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It has been sent to three different House committees for review and is still waiting for further action. The bill is considered active as it moves through these initial committee assignments.
Privacy bills often struggle because big tech companies lobby against them. Creating a whole new agency and letting people sue companies are two things that usually make it hard to pass.
Small businesses face new compliance requirements for data security, breach notification, and privacy policies, though the bill exempts them from many of the most burdensome provisions like data portability, correction rights, and behavioral personalization consent. The bill defines a small business as one with fewer than 200 employees, under $25 million in revenue, and maintaining data on fewer than 250,000 people, and gives them a 9-month compliance ramp when they outgrow small business status. Compliance costs could still be significant, but the Digital Privacy Agency is directed to create templates and toolkits to help.
“The Director, in consultation with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Small Business Administration, the Minority Business Development Agency, and small businesses, shall develop policy templates, toolkits, tip sheets”
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren introduced the Online Privacy Act of 2026, a 151-page bill establishing a Digital Privacy Agency and granting individuals rights to access, correct, delete, and transfer data. The bill emphasizes data minimization and bans 'sneaky' designs like dark patterns.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren reintroduced the Online Privacy Act for the fourth time, aiming to regulate how consumer data is collected and used. The bill would create a Digital Privacy Agency to enforce new rights, including the ability for users to view, correct, and delete their personal information.
The Online Privacy Act (H.R. 8014), introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, is highlighted as a major legislative effort to set a national baseline for data privacy, including the creation of a dedicated Digital Privacy Agency.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Online Privacy Act of 2026
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