Do-Not-Track Bill Clears California Judiciary Committee

A proposed privacy bill in California aimed at ensuring that consumers can opt out of online tracking has cleared the state's Senate Judiciary Committee by a 3-2 vote.

The measure (SB 761), introduced last month by California Sen. Alan Lowenthal, requires the state attorney general to issue regulations that would require Web companies to notify state residents about online data collection and allow them to opt out. The bill, backed by Consumer Watchdog, applies not only to so-called personally identifiable information like users' names, but also to unique identifiers, such as customer numbers of IP addresses. The measure specifically allows consumers to opt out of collection of data relating to the sites they visited, their geolocation, and the time and date of visits, among other items. Consumers would be able to sue companies that disregard the measure for up to $1,000 per violation.