CQ's Ambreen Ali reports that Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., joined White House officials on Thursday in calling for new rules to protect consumers' privacy online. Kerry praised the framework the Obama administration released last month, which includes a privacy bill of rights such as consumers having control over the types of data collected. The administration intends to push its proposal as a voluntary option for industry and has encouraged Congress to pass consumer privacy legislation that would codify the rules. But consumer privacy legislation would likely involve sweeping new regulations on e-commerce providers, making it a tough sell in the GOP-led House.

Kerry and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced a broad privacy bill of rights (S 799) last year that would likewise give users more control over their data, but that legislation has yet to move. Neither has a narrower bill from Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., that would allow consumers to opt out of online tracking. In the House, the Energy and Commerce Manufacturing Subcommittee has held several hearings on privacy under the leadership of Chairwoman Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., but she hasn't decided whether privacy legislation is necessary. In the interim, lawmakers are paying close attention to add-ons that web browser manufacturers have been adding to their applications allowing consumers to opt out of being tracked.

E-Verify Not Ready to Go Nationwide: CQ's Rob Margetta reports that the Department of Homeland Security system used to check employees' legal status is not ready to be mandated nationwide. Citizenship and Immigration Services head Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that the E-Verify system, which checks an individual's Social Security number against a database to determine if they're eligible to work in the United States, could process more queries but not enough to cover the entire nation. Federal contractors are already required to use the system, as are employers in 17 states. House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, has introduced a bill (HR 2885) that would require employers nationwide to use E-Verify. That bill has the support of advocates of stronger immigration enforcement, but could be a political liability for the GOP with Latinos this fall. State Department Committed to Web Freedom in Middle East: A State Department spokesman said Wednesday that Foggy Bottom remains committed to advancing Internet freedom in the Middle East, despite tight budgets and crackdowns by authoritative regimes. The department anticipates spending $25 million on Internet freedom programming this year, providing tools to the Middle East and elsewhere to help citizens evade online censorship by their governments. The State Department has been funding technology that helps evade the firewalls established in Syria, Iran and other nations in the grip of the "Arab Spring." Government crackdowns on expression in those two nations has drawn harsh condemnation from the United States, United Kingdom and other nations. Meehan: Terror Arrest Shows Internet Threat: CQ's Homeland Security notes that Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., pointed to the arrest of a suspected terrorist Thursday in Philadelphia as evidence of the growing threat of web-based radicalization. The Justice Department arrested Bakhtiyor Jumaev, believed to be from Uzbekistan, and charged him with providing material support to terrorists. According to the complaint against him, Jumaev was part of the Islamic Jihad Union and appeared in several YouTube videos supporting the group. Does Yahoo Suit Against Facebook Show Desperation? The Economist's Schumpeter suggests Yahoo's patent lawsuit against Facebook is a sign of how far the firm has fallen in recent years after pioneering online search functions and content. While Yahoo's suit may eventually net the company a financial windfall ahead of Facebook's initial public offering, it has also drawn heavy criticism on the firm from the tech elite — which makes new CEO Scott Thompson's mission to find fresh talent and rebuild Yahoo's image in the Valley that much harder. 4G Doesn't Mean A Whole Lot: If you own an iPhone 4S on AT&T and recently installed iOS update 5.1, you might have noticed your phone constantly displays a "4G" symbol next to the number of bars indicating the quality of the connection. According to The Economist's Babbage, that change likely indicates a triumph of marketing over technology rather than an upgrade in your wireless network. 4G is supposed to refer to the next generation of wireless service, but there is little consensus on what data speeds qualify for the label. After overcoming initial resistance from Apple, the devices will now display 4G status everywhere on AT&T's 3G network, regardless of how fast the network connection is. TechAmerica Backs Startup Act: The industry group TechAmerica has thrown its weight behind a bill from Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., designed to boost the tech startup industry. The legislation would create a new STEM Visa for 50,000 immigrants per year who earn a graduate degree in science, technology, engineering or math, allowing them to stay in the United States and put their technical skills to work. It would also establish an entrepreneur's visa for 75,000 immigrants who register a business and employ at least two non-family employees. The legislation would create a permanent capital gains tax exemption for small businesses, giving investors an incentive to partner with entrepreneurs. Google Facing New Privacy Probes: Google is facing new investigation in both the United States and European Union for bypassing the privacy settings for millions of users of Apple's Safari browser, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The Journal reported last month that Google was using special code to install cookies, or tiny tracking files, on some people's computers. The Federal Trade Commission is examining whether Google violated the terms of last year's settlement agreement over the failed roll-out of Google Buzz, which prohibits the search giant from misrepresenting its privacy practices with consumers. Google is already facing federal scrutiny over its new privacy policy, which clarifies that the search giant will share information about users between many of its products.