Many upset consumers think that the constant flood of phone calls will magically stop if they add their number to the Do Not Call Registry, but they are often unhappy with the outcome. These are some exceptions that allow the calls to keep on coming: political/charitable organizations and survey takers, debt collectors, businesses you already have a relationship with, scammers.

Until recently, companies that engaged in telephone solicitation or telemarketing were required to maintain a list of consumers who ask not to be called, but there was little or no federal oversight of these lists. Regulations recently promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission create a nationwide do-not-call registry and require telemarketers to begin using the do-notcall lists later this year. In addition to the new national list, thirty-six states have enacted laws that create some type of state-wide do-not-call registry. This report will discuss current federal regulation of the telemarketing industry, including the new regulations promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, as well as state laws creating do-not-call registries. Legal challenges to the do-not-call registry, including the recent decision by the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma finding that the FTC lacked authority to establish the registry and the decision by the United States District Court for the District of Colorado invalidating the registry on First Amendment grounds, will also be discussed. Also addressed is the federal legislation (S. 1652, S. 1654, S. 1655 and H.R. 3161) aimed at overturning the Oklahoma court's decision, and other relevant legislation (H.R. 395 and H.R. 526). This report will be updated as events warrant. For additional information on federal telemarketing laws and what consumers can do to prevent unwanted telemarketing calls, see CRS Report RL30763, Telemarketing: Dealing With Unwanted Telemarketing Calls, by James R. Riehl.

Can the government stick us with privacy we don't want? It can, it does, and according to Anita L. Allen, it may need to do more of it. Privacy is a foundational good, Allen argues, a necessary tool in the liberty-lover's kit for a successful life. A nation committed to personal freedom must be prepared to mandate privacy protections for its people, whether they eagerly embrace them or not. This unique book draws attention to privacies of seclusion, concealment, confidentiality and data-protection undervalued by their intended beneficiaries and targets--and outlines the best reasons for imposing them. Allen looks at laws designed to keep website operators from collecting personal information, laws that force strippers to wear thongs, and the myriad employee and professional confidentiality rules--including insider trading laws--that require strict silence about matters whose disclosure could earn us small fortunes. She shows that such laws recognize the extraordinary importance of dignity, trust and reputation, helping to preserve social, economic and political options throughout a lifetime.