Momentum Building for Federal Online Privacy Rules

Washington Post: Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) says that he will be introducing an online privacy bill that would regulate how companies can collect and use consumer data, while giving consumers more control over that data. Two similar bills have already been introduced in the House.

Meanwhile, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz noted that Web sites and advertisers are working on their own version of rules. "If they want to do a better job of ensuring consumers have clear choices going forward and rules and notice, it is in their hands to avoid legislation," he said. "If they don't, we will see in the next Congress more interest in moving forward on more proscriptive rules."