Apple, Facebook, Twitter and HP declined to testify at the second session of the US Senate Judiciary Committee's second hearing on Human Rights and the Law, which looks at protecting privacy of individuals who use the Internet for political and commercial use. They declined, and Judiciary Chair Richard J. Durbin blasted the companies for this.

According to a "ZDNet" report (http://government.zdnet.com/?p=7497), he had this to say: "The bottom line is this: with a few notable exceptions, the technology industry seems unwilling to regulate itself and unwilling even to engage in a dialogue with Congress about the serious human rights challenges the industry faces.

"In the face of this resistance, I have decided that it is time to take a more active role. At our hearing two years ago, I indicated that Congress could step in if the industry failed to take concrete action to protect internet freedom.

"Today I am announcing that I will introduce legislation that would require internet companies to take reasonable steps to protect human rights or face civil or criminal liability. I look forward to working with Senator Coburn and my other colleagues to enact this legislation into law."