Bill > HR2019

This bill, known as the Terms-of-service Labeling, Design, and Readability (TLDR) Act, aims to improve transparency and readability of online terms of service for consumers. The bill requires covered entities (commercial websites and online services, excluding small businesses) to create a short-form summary statement that must be placed at the top of their terms of service page, along with a graphic data flow diagram. This summary must be accessible to people with low literacy and disabilities, and include key information such as: categories of sensitive information processed, what information is required for basic service functioning, legal liabilities and user rights transferred, historical version changes, user deletion instructions, recent data breaches, and the estimated time to read the full terms. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would be responsible for creating guidelines and enforcing these requirements, with penalties treating violations as unfair or deceptive practices. State attorneys general would also have the power to bring civil actions on behalf of residents if they believe the law has been violated. The bill defines "sensitive information" broadly, including health data, biometric information, geolocation, social security numbers, personal demographics, communication content, financial information, and online browsing history. Ultimately, the goal is to make terms of service more transparent and comprehensible to average users.

Business and Industry

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2019/all-info