Consumer Groups, Congress Team on Web Privacy Issues

Consumer privacy groups are teaming with the congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus to brief Hill staffers Nov. 16 on online privacy issues, including behavioral targeting and user tracking.

The congressional caucus is co-chaired by former Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and ranking House Commerce Committee member Joe Barton (R-Tex.).

Pam Dixon, World Privacy Forum, Lee Tien, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Amina Fazlullah, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, and Jeff Chester, Center for Digital Democracy, will be on hand for a primer (at least from their viewpoint) on the current state of online monitoring and behavioral targeting, how that is being abused, and what the government should be doing about it.

They want "clear legislation to protect consumers' privacy online." House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-Va.) has made online privacy legislation a priority of his tenure.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.