House Judiciary Committee and Commerce Committee staff say they are optimistic they can work out their differences by the end of September. More than 80 bills covering electronic privacy issues await action in both houses of Congress. A drumbeat of reports, meanwhile, has satisfied many Netizens there's no privacy in any medium in which covert surveillance of its users has become an institutionalized part of product marketing. Congress is waiting for the White House to move. The European Commission, meanwhile, has been insisting American companies comply with EC data exchange standards or be shut out of the European market.
Action is another matter.
The fate of a number of technology-related bills hangs in the balance as Congress recesses for August. Though important for domestic law, observers say it's even more important as an example for the rest of the world to watch, if not follow. Even so, this bill is headed for the courts once passed. The White House keeps trying to buy time by opposing legislation to liberalize exports. European companies, meanwhile, keep gaining market share in this privacy-enhancing technology.