The measure would require Internet service providers, online service providers and commercial Web sites to get customers' permission before they could disclose important personal information.

EU Data Retention laws requires Internet service providers and phone companies to keep data on every electronic message sent and phone call made for between six months and two years.

The Senate Commerce Committee approved privacy legislation to require Internet service providers, online service providers and Web sites to obtain customers' permission before disclosing or selling sensitive personal information.

The Bush administration is planning to propose requiring Internet service providers to help build a centralized system to enable broad monitoring of the Internet and, potentially, surveillance of its users.

No provision in the PROTECT IP Act will require websites, Internet service providers, search engines, ad networks, payment processors, or any other party to monitor their networks.

Instead of requiring Internet service providers to issue firewalls and antivirus protection, the new White House proposal stresses consumer education.

They would generally require Internet providers to allow consumers access to any application, content, or service.

The law would also require telephone companies and Internet providers that offer data-scrambling technology, called encryption, to have that same feature.

The government maintains an elaborate set of rules that requires Internet service providers to electronically filter content that may be pornographic, anti-government, violent, unhealthy or superstitious.

The order was never implemented, but parliament considered legislation that would require Internet providers to block access to adult sites and others.