Cheered on by privacy advocates, California's Assembly Consumer Protection Committee is thinking of telling businesses what they can and can't do with consumer information. I don't mind if I'm offered a discount on a new blender when I am buying a digital camera. Even the tech-savvy crowd couldn't agree. Because there are so many different ideas of privacy, the best policy is a hands-off approach that lets consumers control their own information. And not only that, in today's global economy, information is currency.
Companies are willing to pay for it, and some consumers are willing to sell it.
But with government it's different. Unlike businesses, governments have the power of the sword, and they use it. Local, state, and federal governments do not ask consumers to hand over information, they force them to do so. Government agencies have then sold that information to businesses with no compensation to the individuals involved and, in some cases, no protection. For example, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has given away personal information to other individuals, including stalkers and violent criminals.