Local Congresswoman Introduces Federal "Do Not Track" Legislation

Today Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA 12th District) introduced the Do Not Track Me Online Act of 2011 (HR 654). This Act would provide much-needed privacy controls for Americans' online information and create a barrier against unwarranted surveillance.

We are all learning, sharing, shopping, and connecting online. But the more we do online, the more personal information is being collected by companies about who we are, where we go, who we know, and what we do. Once this information is collected, it can end up being shared with other companies for targeted advertising, sold to data brokers, or handed over to the government that wants to know the details of your personal life. [Learn More!]

Today's bill would create a "do not track" list, which would allow us to opt out of having our online activity tracked, stored and shared with private companies.

That's why the ACLU supports this bill. According to ACLU Legislative Counsel Christopher Calabrese, "It's crucial that Americans have as much control over their online privacy as possible and this bill is a welcome and important first step toward that goal. Signing on to the Internet shouldn't mean signing away your privacy. Americans must have a mechanism in place to opt out of having their online habits tracked so that they can protect their most sensitive information. A ';do not track' list is a logical and common sense place to start. We urge the House to make this bill a priority."

To learn more about how the "Do Not Track" list would protect privacy, read the Federal Trade Commission's report on online privacy and check out some of the audio recordings and other resources from this week's privacy roundtable event at Berkeley Law School.

It's time to upgrade privacy laws to keep our personal information safe.

It's time to stop paying for new technology with our privacy

It's time to Demand our dotRights!

Learn more and get involved at www.dotrights.org/education.

Nicole A. Ozer is the Technology and Civil Liberties Policy Director with the ACLU of Northern California.