House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Hank Johnson is taking
a crowd-sourcing approach to online privacy.
Johnson (D-Ga.), Wednesday said he had launched AppRights.us
to solicit input on protecting the privacy and security of mobile devices.
"Congress has tried to shove Internet-related legislation
down the public's throat, and we've failed," he said in announcing the site, a
reference to the failed Stop Online Protection Act in the House and the Protect
IP Act in the Senate.
Johnson cautioned against a top-down approach to Internet
regulation, including cybersecurity and piracy -- the latter the focus of SOPA
and PIPA -- as well as privacy.
"There's an emerging consensus that the law should protect
Americans' rights when we share our data with apps and app developers," said
Johnson in a statement. "How that law should be written is a question for
the American people. Let's have an open conversation about it."
Johnson launched the initiative on Reddit.
