While McNealy was politically incorrect when he made that statement, he has a point. It's a comforting romantic notion to think we're fighting the good fight against some corporate Big Brother who wants to take away our individuality. Some have expressed concern that the BBBOnline program has not been widely embraced by industry and self regulation and have taken the position that self-regulation is important but insufficient without a legislative and regulatory backup. Others have suggested an enforcement mechanism directed toward those businesses that are indifferent to or overtly avoiding the implementation of privacy policies. Such paternalistic and statist thinking is disturbing because government cannot create utopia and prevent all cases of fraud.
Consumers have to be accountable and bear some level of responsibility for their actions.
While it is true that consumers are concerned about their online privacy, it is questionable just how much it is affecting personal spending habits. Self-regulation takes time. Self-regulation is preferable to government regulation, and the private sector must lead the way. I remain optimistic based upon the series of meetings I have had with industry over the past few months. For instance, IBM announced that as of June 1, the company will pull its advertising from any Web site in the U.S. or Canada that does not post clear privacy policies.