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HR 654 112th Congress House

Do Not Track Me Online Act

Official title: To direct the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe regulations regarding the collection and use of information obtained by tracking the Internet activity of an individual, and for other purposes.

Introduced: June 3, 2011 See on congress.gov
Commerce Administrative law and regulatory proceduresBusiness recordsCivil actions and liabilityConsumer affairs
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)Internet and video servicesInternet, web applications, social mediaRight of privacy
This bill died when the 112th Congress ended
It never became law before the 112th Congress (2011–2012) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 18, 2011
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.
Feb 11, 2011
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Feb 11, 2011
Introduced in House
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 Latest action February 18, 2011

Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Do Not Track Me Online Act - Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate regulations to establish standards for the required use of an online opt-out mechanism to allow a consumer to prohibit the collection or use of any covered information and to require a covered entity to respect the choice of such consumer to opt-out of such collection or use. Authorizes the FTC to exempt from such regulations certain commonly accepted commercial practices, including: (1) providing, operating, or improving a product or service used, requested, or authorized by an individual; (2) protecting or defending rights or property against security threats, fraud, theft, unauthorized transactions, or other illegal activities; and (3) preventing imminent danger to the personal safety of individuals.

Treats such regulations as regulations defining unfair and deceptive acts or practices affecting commerce prescribed under the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Defines "covered entity" as a person engaged in interstate commerce that collects or stores data containing covered information, excluding a government or any person that: (1) stores covered information from or about fewer than 15,000 individuals, (2) collects covered information from or about fewer than 10,000 individuals during any 12-month period, (3) does not collect or store sensitive information, and (4) does not use covered information to monitor or analyze the behavior of individuals as the person's primary business.

Defines "covered information" as any of the following that is transmitted online: (1) the online activity of the individual; (2) any unique or substantially unique identifier, such as a customer number or Internet protocol address; and (3) personal information. Excludes from such term: (1) specified information associated with an individual's status as an employee of an organization, or an individual's name when collected, stored, used, or disclosed in connection with such employment status; or (2) any information collected from or about an employee by an employer that directly relates to the employee-employer relationship.

Defines "sensitive information" as: (1) any information that is associated with covered information of an individual and relates directly to that individual's medical history, race, religious beliefs and affiliation, sexual orientation or sexual behavior, financial information (except when financial account information is provided by the individual and is used only to process an authorized credit or debit to the account), or geological information; or (2) an individual's unique biometric data or Social Security number.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 654: Do Not Track Me Online Act. 112th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-654/
MLA
"H.R. 654: Do Not Track Me Online Act." 112th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-654/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 654, 112th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-654/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 654: Do Not Track Me Online Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-654/)
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