Rep Rush To Reintroduce Privacy Bill Next Week

Rep Bobby Rush (D-IL) plans next week to reintroduce the online privacy legislation he offered in the last Congress.

Rush's bill from the 111th Congress would have allowed websites and other firms covered by the bill to use online information collected about users but they were required to provide clear notice about the information being collected and its use, while also giving consumers an opportunity to opt out. It also would have required third parties to obtain consent before using consumer information. In addition, the bill would have allowed companies and others covered by the legislation to obtain a safe harbor from some of the bill's provisions if they comply with a self-regulatory program approved by the Federal Trade Commission. Among the possible changes Rep Rush has considered including to his bill this Congress is some sort of do-not-track provision, which would give consumers more control over whether they are tracked online for advertising purposes. Rep Rush, a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said earlier this month that he was leaning toward including such a provision in his bill.