Obviously, on certain issues such as pornography and children's access to adult material, our government is concerned. But even here, we are looking to industry to self-regulate and to develop technological tools that parents and Internet service providers, not the government, can use to filter out material inappropriate for children. We see self-regulation emerging and working. These provisions have already been challenged in court and declared unconstitutional by the lower courts, and the case was heard by the Supreme Court on March 19. Government does have a role in protecting consumers.
Electronic commerce raises serious privacy concerns for consumers.
NTIA has been working on the policy issues raised by such privacy concerns. As more information is generated and stored electronically, and as more individuals have the capability to access it, the protection of privacy of information about ourselves is increasingly important. Thousands of consumers have complained to the company upon learning of this practice. Existing privacy rules and regulations often fall short of consumer expectations. Moreover, privacy protections are not uniform across the communications sector.