While following Wombat's link, I found this amusing piece: http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/cta958.htm Don't you just hate it when you're "required" to adopt "voluntary" measures. oo -----------------------------cut /\ here------------------------------ Bill would call for greater Net privacy protection WASHINGTON - Many people who surf the Internet don't know that personal information on them can be collected at the sites they visit. But that could change under a bill to be offered Wednesday by a key telecommunications lawmaker which aims to give computer users greater privacy protections. The bill by Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., would bar companies from disclosing or using without consent people's medical and financial records, as well as government information such as social security numbers that are available online, said spokesman Ken Johnson. As chairman of the House Commerce Committee's telecommunications subcommittee, Tauzin has considerable power to advance legislation through the chamber. A hearing is planned for this fall. The bill also would require companies to adopt voluntary guidelines to ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ protect computer users' privacy when personal and other information is collected from them online for marketing purposes, Johnson said. Web site owners can use technology to track, for instance, hobbies and buying habits of visitors. The owners can then sell the information to advertisers and other interested parties without the consent or knowledge of the computer user. The Federal Trade Commission is now looking into the issue. To short-circuit any regulatory action, companies including Microsoft and Netscape Communications, the biggest makers of Web browsers, have proposed letting computer users specify what personal information they are willing to share and with which Web sites. The bill also would require companies to adopt voluntary guidelines that ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ would help reduce junk e-mail, or "spamming" as it's called in cyberspace, Johnson said. [snip]