On the one hand, online privacy protection is important for maintaining consumer confidence in e-commerce. Industry groups, therefore, tend to view self-regulation as the way to go. Industry organizations, such as the Computing Technology Industry Association, are closely tracking developments. Tom Santaniello, public-policy manager at CompTIA, says Congress must take the time to carefully think through an online privacy policy. The Hill has to come to grips with such essential issues as what types of consumer information need to be protected and how.
Enforcement is another issue.
A federal law presumably would put the FTC in the role of privacy cop. But the FTC has limited resources for policing Web sites and tends to go after only particularly egregious business activities. The weakness with self-regulation, of course, is the appearance of the fox guarding the henhouse. However, supporters point to a developing third-party auditor system as putting teeth into seal programs. In addition, the Online Privacy Association has published privacy guidelines that e-marketers can adopt.