Source: ACLU

The Senate will take a procedural vote on the Clarity Act in Washington on September 15, 2026. Section 509 would create a scheme allowing companies to seek waivers from any regulation issued by a financial regulator for so-called “AI test projects,” potentially exempting firms from rules on privacy, security, consumer protection, and civil rights. The provision could enable companies to conduct AI experiments that risk exposing consumers’ financial data or develop automated systems that make decisions about lending, housing, and other vital areas without notice or oversight. The ACLU and a coalition of rights groups have sent a letter to Congress detailing these risks to privacy and the right to be free from discrimination in key economic transactions.

Jina John, senior policy counsel on AI at the ACLU, urged senators not to pass laws that would endanger people’s rights for the sake of AI experimentation, saying companies already have freedom to perform basic AI research but should not be allowed to use Americans as “guinea pigs.” The ACLU frames the waiver scheme as unnecessary given the rapid growth of AI and as likely to undermine safeguards against discrimination and consumer harms. The press release situates the appeal in the immediate context of the Senate’s procedural vote on the Clarity Act and provides ACLU contact information and related privacy-and-technology advocacy items.