Bill Would Let Firms Share Customer Data

Several U.S. lawmakers introduced a long-awaited privacy bill last week that would allow businesses to share information about customers who have not explicitly forbidden them to do so.

More than a year in the making, the privacy bill unveiled in the House differs from a competing bill making its way through the Senate that would require businesses to get a person’s explicit permission before sharing sensitive information such as income level, religious affiliation or political interests.

The bill by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) would instead leave companies free to share customer profiles unless customers specifically forbade them.

The bill would cover transactions both on the Internet and in the offline world and would override state laws that place more restrictions on commercial use of personal information.

Consumers would have no right to sue if their privacy was violated. Enforcement would be left in the hands of the Federal Trade Commission, which usually does not impose fines on a first offense.