Weitzner: White House privacy paper imminent

White House Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Internet Policy Daniel Weitzner said that the White House’s long-awaited white paper on online privacy will be released "in a matter of weeks," a development that could reinvigorate the debate in Washington over the hot-button issue.

He said that the school of thought about online privacy has evolved over time and "now we need some substantive privacy rules written into statute." With the release of the white paper forthcoming, Weitzner argued that the U.S. is not behind Europe in crafting online privacy regulations — as one member of the audience alleged. The White House aide also called for a consumer privacy bill of rights. "We are more or less exactly on the same schedule as Europe, he said. "It remains to be seen who will finish first."