The potential for abuse - advertisers, for instance, could soon pinpoint cell-phone users and beam them messages based on their shopping habits - has prompted Congress to consider a series of bills that, taken together, would dramatically restrict retailers, . . .
The potential for abuse - advertisers, for instance, could soon pinpoint cell-phone users and beam them messages based on their shopping habits - has prompted Congress to consider a series of bills that, taken together, would dramatically restrict retailers, financial firms, health insurers and schools from sharing customer information.

One bill would bar schools that receive federal funds from disclosing students' personal data to companies without parental consent. Other legislation would guard the privacy of Social Security numbers, genetic information and data collected by wireless firms.

Also, an amendment to a bankruptcy reform bill that cleared the Senate on March 15 would prohibit debtors from selling consumer data if they previously pledged to keep that information private. That provision is likely to get a boost from last week's move by defunct political portal Voter.com to sell its list of 170,000 e-mail addresses, complete with individuals' party affiliations and political interests.

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