WASHINGTON—Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) today introduced Internet privacy legislation that would rely heavily on industry self-regulation and bar consumer lawsuits.
The Stearns bill, which also covers non-cyber consumer privacy and has backing from several key Democrats, is more deregulatory than Internet privacy legislation introduced late last month by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.).
Neither bill address practical problems of giving privacy notice to wireless consumers on small screens of mobile phones and personal digital assistants. Because Internet privacy is so controversial, it is doubtful whether Congress can pass legislation this year.
The Computer Systems Policy Project, a coalition of chief executives from leading high-tech firms, released a statement supporting the Stearns bill.
