This is the VOA Special English Technology Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish
The
Obama administration has announced a plan to protect Internet users in the
United States. In February the administration proposed what it calls a Consumer
Privacy Bill of Rights. The bill is meant to give Americans more control over
their personal information. President Obama said that "never has privacy been
more important than today, in the age of Internet, the World Wide Web and
smartphones." Under the Privacy Bill of Rights, Americans would have more
control over what personal data companies collect from them and how they use it.
It also would require the companies to be more open about their privacy and
security policies. Darren Hayes is head of the Computer Information Systems
Program at Pace University in New York. He says many countries in Europe and
Asia already have online privacy laws in place. He called the proposed
legislation in the United States long overdue and a step in the right direction.
"I think that in its present form it looks very effective ... The average online
user does need more transparency and more control over the use of their
information." Professor Hayes says the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights would
hold companies like Facebook and Google to a higher level of responsibility. "I
think in practical terms it's going to make online companies more accountable
for what they do. It also seeks to provide more transparency about how third
parties are sharing their information and give the user, hopefully, the ability
to opt out of having their information shared." The new measures are part of a
larger government effort to improve online privacy. The administration has urged
Congress to pass legislation in support of the measures. It also wants lawmakers
to give the Federal Trade Commission and state officials additional powers to
enforce them. Professor Hayes says the effectiveness of the bill will depend
strongly on that. In a related development, a group of companies that make
Internet browsers agreed to support plans for adding "do-not-track" technology
to their browsers. The group agreed not to use tracking information to target
personalized ads to users who do not wish to be identified. The companies will,
however, still collect the information. For VOA Special English, I'm Mario
Ritter. You can find more stories about privacy and technology at
voaspecialenglish.com. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 27Feb2012)
원문출처 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6cwRrs2cB4&feature=youtube_gdata
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