Netflix-Facebook Sharing Bill Clears Senate, Waiting for Obama’s Okay

Want to tell your Facebook pals what you’re watching on Netflix? Netflix wants to help you do that.

And it’s now very close to doing that for American users: The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that would give the video service the go-ahead to facilitate “frictionless sharing” of users’ viewing history with Facebook or other online services.

The House passed the same legislation earlier in the week, which means it now just needs a signature from President Barack Obama.

Facebook has pushing for the legislation, designed to update the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act, for more than a year.

Outside of the U.S., the service has already integrated directly with Facebook; Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is a Facebook board member.

Here’s Netflix PR rep Joris Evers, via email: “We are pleased the Senate has moved quickly to modernize the VPPA, giving consumers more freedom to share with friends when they want. After the President signs the bill, we will introduce social features for our U.S. members in 2013.”