An aide said Rush’s office
has been in close contact with Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), who is also working
to craft comprehensive privacy legislation. Boucher’s draft proposal — released
in June — required companies to get permission from users every time they wish
to use their information in any way, such as targeted Web advertisements. Rush’s
bill would require that customers “opt in” before companies are allowed to
share that information.
Rush’s bill also includes a safe harbor program at the FTC for
companies that wish to self-regulate. By voluntarily pledging to follow the new
privacy policy, companies would no longer need to obtain user consent to share
information. The aide said such programs already exist in the private sector “but
we feel that safe harbor program that FTC would design would have to be robust.”