More Activity on Sharing of User Data with 3rd Parties

U.S. Sensators John McCain and John Kerry plan to introduce an "online privacy bill of rights" that will give consumers the right to limit how their usage and personal data can be shared with third parties.

The Kerry-McCain bill would cover data ranging from names and addresses to fingerprints and unique IDs assigned to individuals' cellphones or computers.

It would also establish a program to certify companies with high privacy standards. Those companies would be allowed to sell personal data to outsiders without seeking permission in each instance.

Mr. McCain, an Arizona Republican, and Mr. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, are backing a bill that would require companies to seek a person's permission to share data about him with outsiders. It would also give people the right to see the data collected on them. The bill is expected to be introduced ahead of a Senate Commerce Committee hearing next Wednesday on online privacy.

Proposed Privacy Bill Would Put Curbs on Data Gathering - WSJ.com (subscription required)