[1][2] The legislation was drafted to protect online consumers from being automatically enrolled in services that would lead to them receiving recurring charges without their explicit consent.

[3][4] Additionally, the law places certain limits on online sellers' ability to share consumer data with third party actors.

[5] The bill was introduced in the aftermath of the release of two reports by the committee regarding the spread of deceptive internet sales practices.

The legislation passed both houses of Congress ultimately signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 29, 2010.

[4] The Washington Post reported in 2021 that the law successfully "combated some abuses, such as the sharing of sensitive customer data with third parties" and put rules in place requiring companies to implement "simple mechanisms for a consumer to stop recurring charges".