Speech in Senate by Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-SC). Re: online privacy legislation. Date: February 24, 2000. Source: Congressional Record, page S794.

Mr. President, I want to bring to the Senate's attention an article from today's TheStreet.Com entitled `DoubleClick Exec Says Privacy Legislation Needn't Crimp Results.' For many Americans, the fear of a loss of personal privacy on the Internet represents the last hurdle impeding their full embrace of this exciting and promising new medium. In addition, many other Internet users unfortunately are today unaware of the significant amount of information profiling that is occurring every time they visit a web site. Notwithstanding the significant privacy concerns raised by such surreptitious activity, many companies continue to oppose even a basic regulatory framework that would ensure the protection of consumers' privacy on the Internet--a basic framework that has been successfully adopted with respect to other areas of our economy. That is why I was so pleased to see a leading Internet Executive from DoubleClick state that his company would not `face an insurmountable problem' in attempting to operate under strict privacy rules. Complying with such rules is `not rocket science,' the executive stated, `It's execution.' Obviously, what this gentleman has asserted is that strict privacy rules would not impede the basic functionality and commercial activity on the Internet. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Commerce Committee to draft legislation in this area and hope that others in industry will join DoubleClick's apparent willingness to implement pro-consumer privacy rules.

I ask unanimous consent that an article entitled `DoubleClick Exec Says Privacy Legislation Needn't Crimp Results' be printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: