Human rights groups see privacy as one of the most basic of social rights and most national constitutions at least pay lip service, echoing the privacy rights spelled out in the United Nation's 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Laws protecting privacy blend with those that empower censors. Chat room tracking, e-mail workplace monitoring, and surveillance of dissidents are standard procedures. The Internet has put a fine point on people's fears that technology was gathering incredible amounts of information and misusing it,' These restrictions threatened a breakdown in international e-commerce until the two sides negotiated a truce last year. The conflict between consumer protection and free data flow remains and barriers in data flow could still spark an Internet trade war between United States and Europe far more serious than the recently ended dispute over banana trade.
Informed consent is the buzzword among regulators debating new privacy policies.
How informed remains the center of dispute. US data marketing policies offer legalese and fine print that leaves most consumers baffled. Consumers may be given the option of opting-out of providing personal details, but few take up such offers. A recent study by Consumers International, a federation of consumer organizations, found a majority of 750 European and American Web sites in 12 countries failed to comply with most international privacy protection standards. Privacy looms large over consumer marketing business Technologists advocate a variety of technical fixes to protect privacy.