One strange story to emerge as part of the recent midterm elections was Intel’s release of a piece of federal legislation. This story got somewhat buried amid all the talk of migrant caravans, healthcare reform and the Democrats gaining control of the house. However, it is worth reflecting on why, exactly, a company devoted to making microchips feels it necessary to weigh in on a political debate.
Intel’s document, to be precise, is a ‘draft’ Federal Privacy Bill, proposing a number of principles for information management that can be applied to tech companies across the US and outlining mechanisms for the enforcement of them. It is intended, Intel has stated, to spark debate about what such a bill could contain.
On the surface, the release of the draft seems very strange. Federal bills are not typically drafted by private companies, after all. Then there is the fact that Intel’s primary business is manufacturing chips, and as such, the company doesn’t actually collect much customer data itself. Why, then, is a company that’s unlikely to be affected by a federal privacy bill releasing ideas as to what could be in it?