On the watch for Do Not Track bills

We're keeping an eye on the US House of Representatives this week to see if this Congress' first Do Not Track bill is introduced. The Hill reported last week that US Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) was about to introduce prospective legislation that would regulate the collection of consumer data on the Web.

The Hill reported the legislation would let consumers opt out of tracking by advertisers, but would not attempt to regulate online privacy at large. The periodical commented that the bill would “provide a floor, rather than a ceiling, for privacy law, so it does not preempt additional legislation in the future.”

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) is also reportedly planning to reintroduce his privacy legislation from the last session of Congress.

In recent weeks, we've reported that since the Federal Trade Commission signaled its preference for Do Not Track legislation, private companies have began offering their own privacy features.