Proposed Privacy Legislation Wins Few Fans

Proposed legislation on privacy landed with a thud when it was unveiled Tuesday–drawing criticism from both Internet and advertising industries, which are leery of regulation, and consumer privacy advocates, who say the bill does far too little to protect consumers.

If approved, the legislation would regulate how Internet companies track Web visitors and use that information for ad targeting. It also would apply to how companies collect and use consumer information offline.

“We’re pretty disappointed with the bill,” says Linda Woolley, executive vice president of government affairs for the Direct Marketing Association. “There are some pretty significant changes to online and offline marketing practices that have gone on for many, many years.”

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