Re: Please oppose S. 968, the PROTECT IP Internet censorship bill
From: senator@kerry.senate.gov
Thank you for your letter on commercial privacy protections. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
As the U.S. economy continues to evolve and commerce shifts increasingly to the digital world, technology has given private companies an unprecedented opportunity to observe, track, and cater to the activities of American consumers. Everything we do online – from the apps we add to our smart phones, to the billions of emails we send to each other daily, to the information that over 600 million people now share through their Facebook accounts – is an opportunity for private companies to collect information about us, often without our consent or knowledge. In addition to the data that businesses collect online, the collection and use of information offline – from grocery stores to hotels and airlines – has also reached a record high.
All of this information sharing is generating a large amount of economic activity and is encouraging all sorts of innovation that has great potential to benefit consumers. However, it has also created new opportunities for our private, personal information to be monitored, stored, sold, used, and potentially abused by private companies. Currently consumers have very little control over their own information as there is no general law of commerce to govern this surveillance or to ensure that our information is handled responsibly. This has understandably created anxiety among Americans who are concerned about protecting their personal information.
For those reasons, as Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, I worked across the aisle with Senator John McCain to introduce The Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2011. This legislation establishes rights to protect every American when it comes to the collection, use, and dissemination of their online personal information by making fair information practices the rules of the road. This will give Americans the assurance that their personal information is secure, and allow our information driven economy to continue to thrive in today's global market. The purpose of this bill is not to discourage information sharing, but rather to encourage it – so long as it operates under a common code of conduct that respects the rights of both the people sharing their information and legitimate organizations collecting and using it on fair terms and conditions.
The information age presents American consumers with improved products and services, our businesses with a globalized market, and our country with an enormous opportunity to foster innovation and economic prosperity. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress toward swift passage of legislation that will strengthen the modern marketplace by ensuring security for our personal information and certainty for American businesses.
Thank you again for your correspondence on this topic. Please don't hesitate to reach me in the future on this issue or any other concern.
John Kerry
US Senate
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