May. Many e-businesses have been irresponsible and even reckless in the way they have sought to gather and use consumer information, rather than creating privacy policies that serve as a competitive advantage. Results from the Technology Policy Group's Ohio Website Privacy Policy Review reveal that those Ohio websites with privacy polices have them prominently displayed in an easy to read format. Despite this, sites often collect and use consumer information without their consent, rarely allow an individual access to their records to correct such information, and do not use privacy seal programs to the extent they should. The World Wide Web and e-commerce applications have given businesses unprecedented access to consumers and their information.
Businesses now have the capability to personalize marketing and advertisements as never before.
However, with this capability comes the need for responsibility. Consumer concern over privacy and misuse of personal information is rising. Congress are questioning industry self-regulation, and many citizen and advocacy groups are calling for state and federal privacy legislation. Progressive businesses need to analyze how they gather and use consumer information, and craft their policies accordingly. It is crucial for the business community to realize that privacy policies are a competitive advantage to continued growth in the e-commerce age.