Or what of the potential for companies to tap the excess storage space on individual computers, the way Napster uses millions of hard drives to share and distribute music files. Spitzer advocates state privacy laws to pressure Congress to act. But for the most part, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, state action has been limited to studies or laws applying only to government agencies. Law enforcement officers from several states ultimately want a federal law requiring, at minimum, that sites disclose any information they collect and offer customers the chance to decline such tracking. They also want states to have the authority to prosecute cases under such a federal law although they are in less agreement over whether legislatures should be able to pass stronger measures for their states.
Businesses prefer one national standard.
A few attorneys general oppose laws entirely, saying they should give businesses time to develop technologies for protecting privacy. Unnecessary laws, they say, could increase costs for consumers. Even some supporters of a federal law urge caution. Thomas Miller, Iowa's attorney general, said reaching consensus on the right balance takes time. There has to be a basic consciousness that the law not act too soon.