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New Bill Demands Internet Firms Disclose Your Data's Worth

'For years, social media companies have told consumers that their products are free to the user. But that's not true — you are paying with your data,' says US Senator Mark Warner.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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Two US senators are demanding the biggest internet companies disclose how much your collected personal data is worth.

The bipartisan legislation from US senators Mark Warner (D-Virginia) and Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) proposes requiring the major platforms to calculate the "economic value" of your data, which helps them generate revenue through targeted ads.

"For years, social media companies have told consumers that their products are free to the user. But that's not true — you are paying with your data instead of your wallet," Warner said in a statement.

The bill would require the major platforms to update your data's worth at least every three months. It would also force the companies to disclose the types of data collected, whether any of it went to a third-party, and give users the ability to delete the harvested information.

The legislation's goal is to create more transparency over the tech industry's data collection practices, which have come under fire for often violating consumers' digital privacy. "These 'free' products track everything we do so tech companies can sell our information to the highest bidder and use it to target us with creepy ads," Hawley said in a statement. "Even worse, tech companies do their best to hide how much consumer data is worth and to whom it is sold."

The same bill is designed to help financial regulators, such as the Federal Trade Commission, pinpoint unfair practices. Major platforms would have to report the "aggregate value" of all the user data they've collected each quarter. Contracts with third-parties regarding any harvested user data would also need to be disclosed.

The bill would apply to ad-dependent internet companies with more than 100 million monthly unique visitors. The Securities and Exchange Commission would develop methodologies for calculating the commercial value of a consumer's personal data.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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