Skip to main content

Kerry, McCain offer Internet privacy bill

Senators John Kerry and John McCain
Image used with permission by copyright holder

U.S. Senators John Kerry and John McCain have more in common then being veterans of the Vietnam War and failed presidential bids—and having the first name John. The two have introduced a new bill dubbed the “Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights” (PDF) that would regulate how Internet companies like Facebook, Google, Apple, and Microsoft can collect and user personal data, as well as make it more difficult for companies to clandestinely collect personal and behavioral information about Internet users to establish profiles.

The proposed legislation, which apparently has the backing of the Obama administration, seeks to establish baseline regulations for how commercial enterprises can uniquely identify individuals or their devices. At a basic level, the legislation would require companies to provide clear notice to individuals about their information collection practices and how that information may be used; the bill would also require companies offer both opt-out and opt-in functionality: users would have to opt-in to authorize the collection of personally identifiable information allowed under the act, and be able to opt-out of the collection of information specifically not authorized by the act.

Recommended Videos

Companies would also be required to provide a clear opt-out mechanism that prevents their personal information from being shared with third parties for use in behavioral advertising. The bill requires companies set up “reasonable procedures” to ensure collected information is accurate, and to hold third parties to contracts that information shared with them will only be used in ways permitted under the bill.

Although the bill provides for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to take action to enforce the bill’s provisions—and the FTC could bring fines of up to $3 million per violation—the proposed legislation explicitly bars private individuals from bringing court action—and that includes class action lawsuits.

The bill represents a compromise of competing interests: Internet companies and digital marketers on one hand, with consumer and privacy advocates on the other. Industry lobbying efforts from the likes of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Microsoft, Google, and others have warned lawmakers that too-restrictive legislation would hamper their industries, one of the few bright spots of growth in an otherwise struggling economy. Consumer privacy advocates have noted the bill prevents individuals from going after companies and bad actors that violate the bill’s provisions, and the bill omits “Do not track” provisions (supported by the FTC). Others describe the legislation as doing little more than enshrine the current status quo, and being riddled with loopholes and exemptions to appease specific companies—like Facebook.

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
This Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED gaming monitor deal is perfect for Super Bowl LIX
Kena Bridge of Spirits on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9.

If you're planning to watch Super Bowl LIX on your computer, you've still got time to upgrade with monitor deals. For the best possible experience, you'll want a top-quality screen like the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 curved gaming monitor, which is on sale from Samsung at $300 off. From its original price of $1,700, it's down to $1,400 -- still pretty expensive, but since it's going to serve as an excellent display long after the big game, it will be worth every single penny. You need to hurry with your purchase if you want it delivered in time though!

Why you should buy the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 curved gaming monitor
Many of the reasons why the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 secured a spot in our list of the best gaming monitors also make it a fantastic screen for watching Super Bowl LIX. You'll enjoy amazing image quality with impressive color accuracy and deep contrast, so you won't miss anything that's happening on the field, while its 240Hz refresh rate will deliver incredible motion clarity so you'll catch all the action as it unfolds. It also runs on Samsung's Tizen operating system, so you have the option of accessing the streaming service where you're planning to watch the big game directly from the gaming monitor.

Read more
Watch Super Bowl LIX on the insane Samsung Odyssey Ark — on sale!
A person playing video games on the Samsung 55-inch Odyssey Ark curved gaming monitor 2nd Gen.

Planning to watch a spectacle like Super Bowl LIX is a perfect reason to splurge on monitor deals, so why not go all out with the second-generation Samsung Odyssey Ark curved gaming monitor? This premium screen, which is originally priced at $2,700, is down to $2,000 from Samsung following a $700 discount. It's still far from being called affordable, but it's going to be an amazing display for watching the big game. You're going to have to hurry with your purchase if you want to have it delivered on time though, so stop hesitating!

Why you should buy the second-generation Samsung Odyssey Ark curved gaming monitor
The second-generation Samsung Odyssey Ark may have been built for video games, but it's also going to be fantastic way to watch Super Bowl LIX. The gaming monitor offers a 55-inch curved screen that fills your field of vision for maximum immersion, a 165Hz refresh rate for smooth movements, and Sound Dome technology with four corner speakers and two central woofers for impressive sound. You'll be able to see and hear every detail of the big game! The second-generation Samsung Odyssey Ark also functions as a smart TV, if you want to watch the event directly from the monitor instead of through your computer.

Read more
List price for RTX 50-series GPUs might be officially dead
RTX 5090.

There's no doubt that Nvidia's new RTX 50-series GPUs are expensive, despite ranking among some of the best graphics cards you can buy. It's looking like prices will remain high in the immediate future. Both MSI and Asus have introduced price increases for their RTX 50-series models, with MSI completely doing away with cards at list price, as reported by VideoCardz.

The new RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are sold out everywhere, but MSI and Asus are two brands that still list official prices online. You can't buy these cards, but it's a look inside where prices are headed once cards become available again. MSI has completely done away with models at MSRP, with its most inexpensive card, the RTX 5080 Ventus, now listed for $1,140. Most of MSI's RTX 5080 offerings range from $1,300 to $1,500, marking anywhere from a $300 to $500 increase over list price.

Read more