Momentum Grows To Create Do Not Track Registry

(The Hill) Emily Birnbaum May 22 2019 06:00 AM Legislation to stop tech companies from tracking users online is finding new momentum as Congress seeks to crack down on big techs privacy practices. On Tuesday Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) unveiled a Do Not Track" bill with tough penalties for companies who break its protections reviving a debate over whether users should be allowed to opt out of the tracking and data collection that comprise the core of many top tech companies business models. Efforts to create a Do Not Track registry have hit roadblocks for more than a decade but consumer advocates and tech industry critics say Hawleys bill could find better traction amid a larger backlash against tech behemoths including Google Facebook and Amazon. Gabriel Weinberg the CEO and founder of privacy-oriented search engine DuckDuckGo told The Hill Americans are more concerned about privacy issues than they were a decade ago when the first conversations about a Do Not Track registry gained prominence. He said those efforts occurred before privacy became mainstream" pointing to a spate of highly public surveillance- and privacy-related scandals over the past decade. Theres a pressure to pass something this year I think because theres a will from people to do something" Weinberg said.