And, Adds a Third Arena in the Senate for Privacy Discussions

This post was also written by Chris Cwalina, Amy Mushahwar & Mike Sacks.

On Monday, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced a bill entitled, “Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011,” that will kick off a dialogue over how and in what circumstances companies should be allowed to collect certain types of consumer information online. In the bill’s present form, it appears that most information collection would need to occur on an opt-in basis, which would be a significant departure from the current self-regulatory standard.

Sen. Rockefeller’s bill adds to the web of privacy activity in the Senate and is the third in a flurry of actions relevant Senate committees have recently taken to address privacy issues. In mid-April, Senators John Kerry and John McCain introduced their “Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act” into the Commerce Committee, where Kerry serves as the Chair of the Communications, Technology, and the Internet Subcommittee. On Tuesday, May 10, the Judiciary Committee’s Privacy Subcommittee held a hearing on mobile privacy, bringing in Apple and Google executives to testify. And, Sen. Rockefeller’s bill now joins the Kerry-McCain bill in the Senate Commerce Committee.Continue Reading Rockefeller Introduces Do Not Track