27B Stroke 6 outlines four important pieces of privacy-protecting legislation that have either been recently introduced or received new life in the Democratically-controlled House of Representatives:
* The Prevention of Fraudulent Access to Phone Records Act, introduced by Dingell and Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX), and 24 original cosponsors, to prohibit pretexting of phone records and to enhance security requirements for customer proprietary network information.
* The Social Security Number Protection Act of 2007, introduced by Reps. Ed Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet and Barton, and 22 original cosponsors, to strengthen the authority of the Federal Government to protect individuals from abusive acts and practices in the sale and purchase of Social Security numbers.
* The Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act (or SPY ACT), introduced by Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) and Mary Bono (R-CA), and 28 original cosponsors, to protect users of the Internet from unknowing transmission of the personally identifiable information through spyware programs.
*The Data Accountability and Trust Act (or DATA), introduced by Reps. Bobby Rush (D-IL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection and Subcommittee Ranking Member Cliff Stearns (R-FL), and 22 original cosponsors, to protect consumers by requiring entities engaged in interstate commerce to have reasonable security policies and procedures to protect data containing personal information, and to provide for nationwide notice in the event of a security breach.
Crashing the party, however, is the Republican-supported Safety Act, which would compel all Internet service providers to track their customers’ online activities.
Four steps forward, one leap back…
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