DARREN HAYES: “I think in practical terms it’s going to make online companies more accountable for what they do. It also seeks to provide more transparency about how third parties are sharing their information and give the user, hopefully, the ability to opt out of having their information shared.”

The new measures are part of a larger government effort to improve online privacy. The administration has urged Congress to pass federal legislation in support of the measures. It also wants lawmakers to give the Federal Trade Commission and State Attorneys Generals additional powers to enforce the measures. Professor Hayes says the effectiveness of the bill will depend strongly on that.

DARREN HAYES: “What’s also going to be important about this legislation are the penalties and fines that will ultimately be imposed for non-compliance.”

Also last week, a group of Internet browser companies agreed to support plans for adding “do-not-track” technology to their web browsers. The group agreed not to use tracking information to target personalized ads to users who do not wish to be identified. The companies will, however, still collect the information.

And that's the VOA Special English Technology Report, written by June Simms. For a link to our report on Google’s new privacy policies, which are set to take effect on March first, go to voaspecialenglish.com. While there, you can also find transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports. I'm Steve Ember.