He previously served as general counsel and corporate secretary at MasterCard. We are a big proponent of 'opt-in' when collecting personally identifiable information. Many businesses, however, don't like opt-in mandates because they require too much time and effort from their customers, who would essentially have to ask for marketing. It would really hurt those businesses if you take that away and they had to blindly send out information. Along with addressing technology practices, businesses need to begin a dialogue with their customers to make them aware of their own privacy rights and how to exercise them, Lane adds.
Many consumers are without basic information regarding their privacy rights.
For instance, many do not know that privacy violations are separate from identity theft, which involves stealing personal data to commit crime. So consumers are more likely to take out of context the limited information they do have, which often comes in the form of bad press. In addition to DoubleClick, with its consumer awareness efforts, other groups are looking to combat the privacy misperceptions that could inhibit the growth of e-commerce. There are alternatives to regulation. But many argue that the industry is a little late in making a good-faith show on privacy, scurrying only after a rash of public outcry over incidents involving the Internet and alleged privacy violations.