; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings and purpose. Sec. 3. Definitions. Sec. 4. Establishment of the Data Protection Agency. Sec. 5. Executive and administrative powers. Sec. 6. Purpose, objectives, and functions of the Agency. Sec. 7. Rulemaking authority. Sec. 8. Specific agency authorities. Sec. 9. Enforcement powers. Sec. 10. Preservation of State law. Sec. 11. Reports and information. Sec. 12. Transfers of functions. Sec. 13. Authorization of appropriations. 2. Findings and purpose (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Privacy is an important fundamental individual right protected by the Constitution of the United States. (2) The right of privacy is widely recognized in international legal instruments that the United States has endorsed, ratified, or promoted. (3) The right to privacy protects the individual against intrusions into seclusion, protects individual autonomy, safeguards fair processing of data that pertains to the individual, advances the just processing of data, and contributes to respect for individual civil rights and fundamental freedoms. (4) Privacy protections not only protect and benefit the individual, but they also advance other societal interests, including the protection of marginalized and vulnerable groups of individuals, the safeguarding of other foundational values of our democracy, such as freedom of information, freedom of speech, justice, and human ingenuity and dignity, as well as the integrity of democratic institutions, including fair and open elections. (5) The privacy of an individual is directly affected by the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of personal data. (6) The increasing digitalization of information and its application in classifying individuals and groups of individuals has greatly magnified the harm to individual privacy that can occur from the collection, maintenance, use, or dissemination of personal data. (7) The opportunities for an individual to secure employment, insurance, credit, and housing and the right to due process and