Tech giants at odds over Obama privacy bill

The giants of the tech industry are at odds over how the government should protect users in the era of “big data.” While some companies are pushing President Barack Obama to propose firm rules for data collection, others say the industry should be trusted to regulate itself.

Microsoft is among those calling for new federal standards, arguing Congress should act to craft “strong, comprehensive privacy legislation.” But the Internet Association -- “the unified voice of the Internet economy,” which includes Facebook, Google and Yahoo -- took a different approach, calling for “a flexible and balanced self-regulatory responsible use framework” that protects consumers while allowing for innovation.