Privacy 101: Briefing for staffers next week

Ten consumer and privacy advocacy groups will hold a briefing for congressional staffers next Monday, Nov. 16., to explain new technologies used in behavioral targeted advertising and online data tracking.

The briefing is being held in conjunction with the Congressional Privacy Caucus, which is co-chaired by Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) in the House and Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) in the Senate. The Center for Digital Democracy, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, U.S. Public Interest Research Group and Consumers Union are among the groups hosting the hour-long briefing.

These groups have been ardently pushing for Congress to enact some sort of legislation that would protect consumer information and require Internet companies to tell users exactly what information is being collected and how it is being used by third parties. The briefing will be held at 11 a.m. in Rayburn House Office Building, room 2322.