Obama Calls For New Privacy Bill of Rights

CWmike writes "The Obama Administration is backing a new data privacy bill of rights aimed at protecting consumers against indiscriminate online tracking and data collection by advertisers. In recent times, high-profile examples of a need for improving privacy laws include Facebook's personal data collection practices and Google's problems over its Street View Wi-Fi snooping issue. In testimony prepared for the Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation, the Commerce Department's assistant secretary, Lawrence Strickling, said that the White House wants Congress to enact legislation offering 'baseline consumer data privacy protections.' Strickling said the administration's call for new online privacy protections stems from recommendations made by the Commerce Department in a paper released in December. The administration's support for privacy protections is very significant, said Joel Reidenberg, a professor at Fordham Law School who specializes in privacy issues. 'This is the first time since 1974 that the U.S. government has supported mandatory general privacy rules,' Reidenberg said."

Comments

Re:Which one does the President really believe in?

[PopeRatzo]

Well, let's see: There's absolutely no way the privacy legislation will make it through the current Congress. Plus, Obama only came up with this after the Democrats had already lost control of Congress. And, there's a very good chance that the copyright stuff will make it through Congress.

Seriously? Even with all the "populist" tea party members in control of Congress? Don't you think they're going to look out for us Americans? Surely they believe in privacy. Well, not privacy for pregnant women and their doctors, but pregnant women are merely vessels for the Holy Spark of Life and don't deserve privacy because we all know they were created second and are more prone to the influence of Satan, with their short skirts and lipstick and all. But privacy for the real Americans, I mean.