Consumer privacy groups petition Congress

A newly released draft of a consumer privacy bill has prompted privacy-advocacy groups to call for the inclusion of more-stringent requirements that they view as necessary for adequate consumer-data protection.

In a June 4 letter to Reps. Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Cliff Stearns (R-FL), 10 groups, including the Center for Digital Democracy, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Consumer Watchdog and the World Privacy Forum, responded in detail to a draft version of the bill, which is under consideration by the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet. The letter acknowledged that the bill was a step in the right direction toward ensuring data security but said it must be "considerably revised to provide the protection that consumers truly need and garner the support of consumer and privacy groups."

Specifically, the groups called for the term "sensitive information" to be expanded to include more types of health-related information. They also urged the committee to require "opt-in" procedures for the collection and use of data. Additionally, they said the bill should incorporate the Federal Trade Commission's Fair Information Practice Principles.