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internetworkers - Re: Privacy Bill Sponsored by NC Democrat, Senator John Edwards

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  • From: Steven Champeon <schampeo AT hesketh.com>
  • To: InterNetWorkers <internetworkers AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Privacy Bill Sponsored by NC Democrat, Senator John Edwards
  • Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 11:10:41 -0500


on Tue, Jan 30, 2001 at 10:13:55AM -0500, saundrakaerubel.com wrote:
> Privacy Bill Would Require Permission to Use Cookies
> Senator John Edwards re-introduced a bill that would require Web
> sites to get permission from visitors before tracking their movements
> online. The North Carolina Democrat's bill stakes out an aggressive
> position in the debate over Internet privacy, requiring Web sites to
> reveal their use of "cookies," technology that commonly runs in the
> background without the knowledge of the visitor.

"Spyware Control and Privacy Protection Act of 2000"
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:s.03180:

Um, if you read the bill you'll see that it explicitly excludes the use
of cookies:

2f:

(3) COMPUTER SOFTWARE- (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the
term `computer software' means any program designed to cause a
computer to perform a desired function or functions.

(B) The term does not include a text file, or cookie, placed on a
person's computer system by an Internet service provider, interactive
computer service, or commercial Internet website to return information
to the Internet service provider, interactive computer service,
commercial Internet website, or third party if the person subsequently
uses the Internet service provider or interactive computer service, or
accesses the commercial Internet website.

Unless I have the wrong bill, which is possible. There is a "Consumer
Privacy Protection Act", S.2606, but Edwards is only a co-sponsor on
that bill, which was introduced in May of last year.

Anyway.

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