This post was also written by Amy Mushahwar.

Bill Adds to the Web of Proposed Privacy Legislation and Contains Much More Than Kids Do Not Track

 Today, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) circulated a discussion draft of his kids online do-not-track bill, co-sponsored by Joe Barton (R-Tex.) that proposes to make it illegal to use kids’ or teens’ information for targeted marketing and require parental consent for online tracking of the info. Both Congressmen co-chair the House Privacy Caucus and their kids’ privacy bill will join other more generally-applicable privacy legislation pending in the 112th Congress by Representatives Cliff Stearns (R-Fl.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Jackie Speier (D-Calf.) and Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R.-Ariz.) with Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) promising to release a generally-applicable privacy bill containing Do Not Track provisions next week.

But, members of the privacy community were expecting this piece of proposed legislation. Markey had promised since late 2010 that the bill was coming. Specifically, the bill would update the Childrens’ Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (“COPPA”) provisions relating to the collection, use and disclosure of children’s personal information. Further, it would establish protections for personal information of teens who were previously not addressed in COPPA at all.Continue Reading Rep. Markey Releases a Kids Do Not Track Discussion Draft Bill