FC: Congress may not pass a Net-privacy law this year after all

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

---
Testimony from Thursday's hearing:
http://www.house.gov/commerce/hearings/0301200143/03012001.htm
---

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,42123,00.html
   
   Privacy Laws: Not Gonna Happen
   by Declan McCullagh and Ryan Sager
   2:00 a.m. Mar. 2, 2001 PST
   
   WASHINGTON -- Privacy legislation may not be going public anytime
   soon.
   
   Conventional wisdom in the nation's capital says that the prospect of
   Congress enacting Internet privacy laws is extraordinarily likely, and
   perhaps even inevitable.
   
   "I believe that significant privacy legislation is going to be sent to
   the president this year, and the debate is not, 'Is it going to be
   sent to the president?' The debate is, 'What is it going to look
   like?'" Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in January. Rep. Joe Barton
   (R-Texas) put it more bluntly: "Privacy legislation is inevitable."
   
   But a combination of factors -- including widespread disagreement on
   Capitol Hill about what form legislation should take, increasingly
   vocal opposition from business groups, and concern that intervention
   might harm the economy -- could derail the best efforts of privacy
   advocates.
   
   GOP leaders are taking a cautious approach. One hint about how
   Congress will proceed comes from a hearing on Thursday before the
   House telecommunications subcommittee.
   
   Six experts, all lawyers, were asked to speak at the event, titled
   "Privacy in the Commercial World." Four witnesses opposed new
   regulations or advised extreme caution in the area, and only two
   witnesses argued for action by Congress.

   [...]


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