If you’re like me, you care about protecting your family’s personal information. I practice basic personal security tips like not using the same password for everything. But everything from our bank to our family photo album exists online, where bad actors are trying to infiltrate our lives. These days, I think about protecting my family online just as much as keeping them safe at home.

Sometimes it feels like protecting our data is totally out of our control. It wasn’t that long ago that 22,000 people, primarily former and current government workers, had their data stolen when the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority's computer networks were breached. Our state’s chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Peter Neronha, worked to hold people accountable, but the damage was done.

That’s why I was glad to see our representatives in the State House pass a bill to protect consumers’ data. The law requires websites to tell users what data they’re collecting and who they’re sharing it with. 

Finally, it feels like we’re making real progress in protecting our personal information. Attorney General Neronha and other elected officials in Providence deserve a pat on the back for that. But their work isn’t done. They need to look out for new ways Rhode Islanders’ personal information may be exposed. That’s where a new lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has me concerned.

The DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple made some news when it was first announced earlier this year, but it’s mostly gone under the radar since then. However, Rhode Islanders who appreciate recent progress in data privacy should pay attention, particularly Attorney General Peter Neronha. After reading through the lawsuit, it’s clear to me that, despite the DOJ’s intention to protect consumers, the lawsuit could make our data even more vulnerable.

Basically, the DOJ alleges that Apple maintains a monopoly in the smartphone market through the way it runs its App Store. The problem is that the DOJ’s lawsuit doesn’t acknowledge that Apple’s App Store has rules in place to protect its users. They make sure that bad actors can’t trick us into downloading an app that exposes all of our data. This threat is real. Just recently a report revealed that hackers are working to get around App Store protections and deceive users into downloading malicious apps.

Instead of trying to force Apple to eliminate safety features, the Department of Justice should consider what is actually in the best interest of consumers. That’s what our state representatives and Attorney General Neronha did when they passed the privacy bill. But the DOJ’s lawsuit could reverse our progress and expose us in new and unpredictable ways.

Now we need Attorney General Neronha to step up for us again by opposing the DOJ’s lawsuit. He promised to protect Rhode Islanders from deceptive practices that rip off consumers. If Neronha is going to build on his work to protect consumers, he can not support the DOJ’s lawsuit against Apple.

Rep. John "Jay" Edwards
Tiverton

Edwards represents District 70 in the House of Representatives.