FTC Online Privacy Report

The Federal Trade Commission released yesterday:

"Consumer Privacy on the Global Information Infrastructure" 

   http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/privacy/privacy1.htm

Reuters 1-6-97:

  The Federal Trade Commission, which last year held a conference 
  on privacy issues, said participants at the gathering agreed that 
  businesses have four ways to protect consumer privacy:

  -- Notify consumers about how personal information collected online is
  used.

  -- Give consumers a choice about whether and how their personal
  information is used.

  -- Ensure the security of personal information is protected.

  -- Give consumers access to their own personal information to ensure its
  accuracy.

The report is a summary of the June 4/5 meeting where the FTC heard from a
half-dozen panels of privacy advocates, consumer groups, and businesses.
I posted a note about it and the legislation swirling around it to
cypherpunks then, I believe.

The hearing/workshop was tense at times. The privacy advocates and firms
were at odds: companies proposed free-market solutions. The nonprofit
lobby groups said it wouldn't work. EPIC, for instance, is one of the
groups pushing for greater privacy protection through legislation and
regulation.

-Declan


On Tue, 7 Jan 1997, John Young wrote:

> The Federal Trade Commission released yesterday:
> 
> "Consumer Privacy on the Global Information Infrastructure" 
> 
>    http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/privacy/privacy1.htm
> 
> Reuters 1-6-97:
> 
>   The Federal Trade Commission, which last year held a conference 
>   on privacy issues, said participants at the gathering agreed that 
>   businesses have four ways to protect consumer privacy:
> 
>   -- Notify consumers about how personal information collected online is
>   used.
> 
>   -- Give consumers a choice about whether and how their personal
>   information is used.
> 
>   -- Ensure the security of personal information is protected.
> 
>   -- Give consumers access to their own personal information to ensure its
>   accuracy.
> 
>

> The Federal Trade Commission released yesterday:
>   The Federal Trade Commission, which last year held a conference 
>   on privacy issues, said participants at the gathering agreed that 
>   businesses have four ways to protect consumer privacy:
>   -- Notify consumers about how personal information collected online is
>   used.
>   -- Give consumers a choice about whether and how their personal
>   information is used.
>   -- Ensure the security of personal information is protected.
>   -- Give consumers access to their own personal information to ensure its
>   accuracy.

     Anyone willing to place a bet on how many companies will implement A,B, 
and D, and implement C so that it benefits the consumer, rather than just 
protects a valuable mailing list from theft?