Dive summary:
- The Do Not Track Online Act has been re-introduced to Congress by creator Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) in an effort to give consumers more control of their information online by preventing companies from tracking their activity.
- The bill was first introduced in 2011 with co-creator Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), but never left the Rockefeller's own committee.
- Under the bill, consumers would have complete control over whether companies could collect information about them online; companies would still be allowed to collect information necessary for their websites to function, but would be required to destroy or anonymize the information when it is no longer needed.
From the article:
"'Online companies are collecting massive amounts of information, often without consumers' knowledge or consent...My bill gives consumers the opportunity to simply say 'no thank you' to anyone and everyone collecting their online information. Period,' Rockefeller said in a statement."