Barton Asks E&C Chair to Move Kids Do-Not-Track Bill

Says there is at least possibility it could be considered in lame duck session

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/14/2012 10:59:40 AM

Joe Barton (R-Texas), cochair of the Congressional Privacy Caucus, has asked Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) to consider moving the kids do-not-track privacy bill that Barton and Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass), his privacy caucus cochair have introduced.

He also says that the FCC's misnamed net neutrality rules have not done much harm, but haven't done any good, either.

Barton said in an interview for C-SPAN's Communicators series that he had no commitment from the chairman, but that it was at least possible there could be movement on that front in the lame duck session, saying there were probably not enough legislative days before the election to consider it before that.

The Barton-Markey bill would:

"Require online companies to explain the types of personal information collected, how that information is used and disclosed, and the policies for collection of personal information;

"Require online companies to obtain parental consent for collection of children's personal information;

"Prohibit online companies from using personal information of children and teens for targeted marketing purposes;

"Establish a ‘Digital Marketing Bill of Rights for Teens' that limits the collection of personal information of teens, including geolocation information of children and teens;

"Create an ‘Eraser Button' for parents and children by requiring companies to permit users to eliminate publicly available personal information content when technologically feasible."

Barton said he thought the public was "ahead of Congress" on privacy, as were companies like Microsoft who were building in more default privacy--Microsoft is one of the companies agreeing to browser-based privacy options.

Barton said Congress gained ground in this session, but is still "behind the curve" on privacy.

Asked by Communications Daily editor/reporter Howard Buskirk to comment on the FCC's defense of its network neutrality rules, currently being challenged in court and which Barton voted to overturn, the congressman answered: "How hard is it to pat yourself on the back for something that wasn't necessary. I don't think they have done much harm with it but I don't think it was necessary and I don't think it has done any good."

Barton said if there is a Republican president, House and Senate he would expect them to move a net neutrality repeal bill.