[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4326 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4326

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit interactive computer 
   services from releasing to the public certain private information.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 28, 1996

Mr. Torricelli introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit interactive computer 
   services from releasing to the public certain private information.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``On-Line Privacy Protection Act of 
1996''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON RELEASE OF CERTAIN PRIVATE INFORMATION.

    (a) In General.--Title 18, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after chapter 87 the following:

        ``CHAPTER 88--PRIVACY AND INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SERVICES

``Sec.
``1801. Prohibition on release of certain private information.
``Sec. 1801. Prohibition on release of certain private information
    ``(a) Whoever being an interactive computer service releases to the 
public any private personally identifiable information of another 
person without the prior informed written consent of that person shall 
be fined not more than $500.
    ``(b) As used in this section--
            ``(1) the term `interactive computer service' means any 
        information service that provides computer access to multiple 
        users via the Internet;
            ``(2) the term `Internet' means the international computer 
        network of both Federal and non-Federal interoperable packet 
        switched data networks; and
            ``(3) the term `personally identifiable information' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 631 of the 
        Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 551).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of chapters at the beginning of 
part I of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
the item relating to chapter 87 the following:

``88. Privacy and Interactive Computer Services.............    1801''.
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