Newsmakers: Rep. Kristin Bahner Explains Age Appropriate Design Code

Rep. Kristin Bahner (DFL-Maple Grove) authored the Age Appropriate Design Code bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives. 

The bill promotes safety and healthy data privacy for children.

“We’ve looked through the lens of child safety when we’ve developed everything from car seats and cribs to motor vehicles, but we’ve never applied that to online settings,” Bahner said.

She has a background in information technology.

“I know what’s possible,” said Bahner. “Specifically, what [the bill] does is, [it] directs companies to do a data privacy impact assessment. It means they are assessing the level of risk of their online product, feature or functionality through the lens of child safety.”

Bahner says that, when a substantial risk is found, companies would have to put a mitigation plan in place. The bill would also give companies a 90-day window to repair issues, which Bahner says is almost unheard of in any legislation.

“The intent of the bill is not a ‘gotcha’ for businesses, it is but to push businesses to think about online safety and to think about children who are likely to use the product at the outset, not down the road when harm is done,” said Bahner.

You can read the bill here.

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