Now you hear those officials saying that the Internet holds great promise as a marketplace, but consumers will not use it to its full potential unless they feel safe. Rest assured that any flaw or failure or shortcoming in industry self-regulation efforts will be seized upon by regulatory advocates and bureaucrats. And, don't be surprised to see the goal line moved on occasions. Such paternalistic and statist thinking is disturbing because neither government nor industry can create utopia or prevent all cases of fraud and invasion of privacy. There is a target rich environment out there.
Consumers have to be accountable and bear some level of responsibility for their actions.
Government can play a positive role by educating consumers and businesses and with appropriate and rational attempts to minimize deception, unfairness and misleading practices. The FTC's traditional law enforcement role against deception, unfair practices and actions which abuse consumers or disrupt market functions remains a very appropriate way for government to intervene, as long as we do not over-stretch our authority or impose ourselves improperly and unnecessarily. I truly believe that self-regulation is preferable to government regulation , and that industry can best resolve concerns about privacy. Should the private sector not respond or fail in this endeavor, government bureaucrats and advocacy groups will respond with enthusiasm. From my point of view, government regulation of privacy does not make sense because it is impractical.