U.S. Representatives broadly supported on Monday, July 14, a bill that would create an AI program to monitor consumer safety issues.
The Consumer Safety Technology Act is a bipartisan bill focusing on a pair of hot-button tech trends: artificial intelligence and the blockchain.
The bill would do three things, if passed. The first would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to begin a pilot program using AI to to monitor consumer safety issues. The program would be required to use AI for at least one of several specified tasks, such as tracking consumer injury trends, monitoring online marketplaces for the sale of recalled products or identifying products banned from sale in the U.S.
The second and third actions of the bill would require the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study on the possible applications of blockchain technology for consumer protection purposes, and require the Federal Trade Commission to report on all FTC actions involving unfair or deceptive practices related to tokens on the blockchain.
This bill was broadly popular across the aisle, passing 336-36. Opposition came from 34 Republicans and 2 Democrats, with both Hawai‘i Reps Ed Case and Jill Tokuda joining the support for the bill.
The House voted on several other bills Monday and Tuesday, including:
•The Understanding Cybersecurity of Mobile Networks Act, which requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to report on how vulnerable telecom providers are to cyberattacks. The bill passed 360-10, with universal support among Democrats.
•The Communications Security Act, which authorizes the Federal Communications Commission to stand up an advisory council to discuss the security and reliability of communications networks. This passed 380-33, with Case and Tokuda in support.
•The Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge Act, which renames the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas after Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old Texas girl who was allegedly killed in 2024 by a pair of illegal Venezuelan immigrants. The bill passed unanimously.
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