Privacy bill hits the house

Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) introduced a privacy bill on Wednesday – a day after Sens. Kerry and McCain introduced their online privacy bill. In a statement, Stearns said “This bill, the Consumer Privacy Protection Act, requires covered entities to provide consumers in clear and easy to understand language what information is being collected and how the information is being used.” Sounds like what Kerry and McCain are proposing. From The Hill: Like the Senate bill, Stearns’s bill doesn’t include the creation of a Do Not Track list similar to the Do Not Call list that some consumer advocates have pressed for. It includes a FTC-approved five-year self-regulatory program that could serve a similar role to the Kerry-McCain bill’s Safe Harbor certification program. Having online privacy bills in each chamber increases the likelihood that something will pass this year.