The US House of Representative-Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday passed two new legislations that would establish new guidelines in some peer-to-peer file-sharing websites and would deal with the protection of the people’ personal information online.
The House Resolution No. 1319 or otherwise known as Informed P2P Users Act was designed to implement restrictions on Internet technology, particularly the use of P2P networks.
According to the resolution, file-sharing websites should give users “conspicuous notice” before they can install the program.
The bill, likewise, requires file-sharing company to provide an “easy remove or block” options to users.
“The bill is actually the lawful guideline on how to properly use the P2P program. It was not meant to discourage people, especially those who are heavy file-sharing users, to use the technology,” a lawmaker said.
“The recently passed HR 1319 only narrowed the exact definition of P2P services that are subjected to issues and several restrictions, one of which is illegal sharing of personal data such as financial and health records,” the lawmaker added.
But the bill exempted file-sharing that include email, instant messaging, real-time audio, videos, and other voice services.
However, several lawmakers expressed opposition to the passing of the bill, saying that “it is narrow enough.” Representatives said that the bill should be more specific on the violations and guidelines in using P2P.
Meanwhile, the committee has also passed another bill called the HR 2221, which aimed to protect personal information of people using P2P networks by setting required guidelines in the respective websites.
If passed in the US Senate, the bill would also give consumers more control on their accounts, access keys, notices, and other breach-prone data.
The Senate has already expressed positive gestures in the passing of the bill, making it more solid.