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Senator Prevents Action on Online Privacy Bill

Posted by michael on from the sabot-in-the-gears dept.

securitas writes "The NYTimes tells us Senator Trent Lott forced the Senate Commerce Committee to adjourn this morning as it was on the verge of adopting an online privacy bill requiring ISPs and commercial Web sites to get customers' permission before they could disclose important personal information. That would include financial, medical, ethnic, religious and political information along with Social Security data and sexual orientation. I urge Trent Lott's constituents to make your voices heard on this. Same goes for readers whose senators serve on the Senate Commerce Committee." Salon and EPIC have written about Hollings' bill.

5 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory Simpsons Quote by Target+Drone · · Score: 2, Funny

    "I've said it before and I'll say it again: Democracy simply doesn't work." -Kent Brockman

  2. What Personal Information? by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 2, Funny
    That would include financial, medical, ethnic, religious and political information along with Social Security data and sexual orientation.

    This is not even an issue. The senator knows that every upstanding american citizen is:

    • financial: a hard-working taxpayer
    • medical: leads a clean life
    • ethnic: is from good stock
    • religious: is a proud and dedicated churchgoer
    • political: supports his president 100%
    • social security: skeptical of its goals
    • sexual orientation: damned straight
    So you see, there really isn't any unique information to keep secret. The proposed legislation is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
  3. Yes by Zen+Mastuh · · Score: 3, Funny
    The NYTimes tells us Senator Trent Lott forced the Senate Commerce Committee to adjourn this morning...

    It's true--he had to adjourn to his office to check his list of contributors. How else is a senator supposed to know which vote to cast?

    --
    "What is the sound of one belly slapping?"
  4. Re:Jefferson said it best: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The South tried that, and as you may or may not remember, they were bitchslapped.

  5. Re:Goddamn it! by mofolotopo · · Score: 2, Funny

    You get no argument from me. I say we replace the whole legislative branch with a random number generator; that way it can only screw up HALF the time.