California State Sen. Joel Anderson, R-, was recognized by an eCommerce firm for his efforts to protect citizens' digital privacy rights after death.
NetChoice added the senator its iAWESOME - which honors lawmakers who have "created forward-thinking legislation" or "risked political backlash" to quash legislation that ran counter to "consumer-benefitting innovations" - for his role in promoting the Privacy Expectation Afterlife and Choices (PEAC) Act, according to a release. The bill provides guidelines for accessing the information needed to settle estates while protecting the privacy of those deceased.
Currently, California families are left responsible for accessing their loved ones' information, often times causing unnecessary financial and emotional burdens, the bill fact sheet stated.
More than 70 percent of Americans think private online communications and photos should remain private after they die – unless they'd prior consent for others to access it, a Zogby poll found.
