The State of California is looking to set a precedent with a "Do Not Track" bill.

The "Do Not Track" bill in California would give people the right to opt out of being tracked online. It would give consumers a way to send a message from their browsers that they do not want their information to be tracked for commercial purposes. It passed its first hurdle as the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to move it forward in the Senate. The bill passed by a vote of 3-2.

Data mining companies have often used browser cookies to collect user's information and sell it to advertisers, who will shape certain ad campaigns based on a particular person or subset of people.

"Once again California is leading the way in protecting privacy rights," John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project, said in a statement. "We hope the California legislation prompts action at the national level."

Simpson's Consumer Watchdog, which criticized McCain and Kerry's legislation for not including "Do Not Track," approves of the California version. "Consumers should have the right to choose if their private information -- from shoe size, to health concerns, to religious beliefs -- is collected, analyzed and profiled by companies tracking activities online. Do Not Track is the simple way for consumers to say 'no thanks' to being monitored while they surf the web," said Simpson.


Link:
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/141376/20110504/do-not-track-law-california-tracking-data-collection-web-tracking-john-mccain-john-kerry.htm