Kendra S. Horn: “Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4049 would establish a commission to engage in one of the Nation's most comprehensive examinations of…”

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4049 would establish a commission to engage in one of the Nation's most comprehensive examinations of privacy protection issues in more than 20 years. A few key strokes on a computer can yield a quantity of information that was unimaginable 26 years ago when the privacy act of 1974 became law. From e-mail and e-commerce to e-government, technology has changed the way people communicate, shop, and pay their bills. The downside of these advances is that a vast amount of personal information, such as credit cards and Social Security numbers, flows freely from home computers to commercial and government Web sites. Today, everything from medical records to income tax returns is being maintained in an electronic form and is often transmitted over the Internet. Growing concern over protecting the privacy of those records has led to the proposal of approximately 7,000 State and local laws, and more than 50 Federal laws. This bill before the House today will provide a most important function in this debate.”