There are federal privacy laws for cable subscriber records but not for insurance records. I think the problems with the sectoral approach will become increasingly apparent as commerce on the Internet grows. The Internet offers the ideal environment to establish uniform standards to protect personal privacy. For the vast majority of transactions, simple, predictable uniform rules offer enormous benefits to consumers and businesses. It is also becoming increasingly clear that the large industry mergers in the telecommunications and financial services sectors have made the sectoral approach increasingly obsolete.
Firms now obtain information about individuals from many different sources.
There is a clear need to update and move beyond the sectoral approach. I am confident that we will be able to do this. Our legal tradition is ideally suited to develop the solutions that will protect privacy and promote commerce in this new economic environment. Poll after poll shows that people want legislation, not fine print, to protect privacy on the Internet. Contrary to the popular belief that Internet users oppose all forms of government action, when it comes to matters of privacy, they believe new laws are necessary.