Exclusive: Sen. Kerry insists commercial privacy bill is not ‘a step backwards’

[Playinghardball]

Source: Raw Story
By Stephen C. Webster

An effort by two U.S. Senators to cement a broad series of privacy protections into federal law came under fire last week when a legislative analysis from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) suggested that it might override numerous state laws that offer even stronger safeguards for consumer information.

Contacted by Raw Story, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) -- who is cosponsoring the bill with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) -- begged to differ, arguing that their proposals would not represent "a step backwards" for privacy rights.

But EFF attorney Lee Tien isn't so sure.

The Kerry-McCain "Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights," according to Tien's analysis, does not establish a baseline or "floor" for states to build stronger privacy protections. It instead erects a legislative "ceiling" for privacy protections and expressly preempts many state laws that try to address some of the same problems.

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/26/exclusive-sen-kerry-insists-commercial-privacy-bill-is-not-a-step-backwards/