First, the costs of complying with one standard would be minimal when compared to the costs of complying with a potpourri of state standards. Second, the federal government would have the ability to pursue and penalize the violators. Perhaps the private sector should be given the opportunity to self-regulate itself. Organizations have already been formed to develop a list of guidelines for online privacy. However, these organizations have been criticized for being too narrowly focused and slow to respond to the ever-changing Internet landscape.
Online privacy is a highly charged and complicated area of the law.
In fact, shortly after the announcement of its proposed surfer profile and purchase history profile merger, DoubleClick came under increasing public scrutiny. As a result, DoubleClick announced that it was temporarily delaying the implementation of this endeavor until an acceptable online privacy agreement can be reached. The Internet is changing and expanding our economy in ways not even imagined five years ago. However, consumers discomfort and distrust of the effectiveness of online privacy threatens to stifle this growth. Some type of online privacy standards need to be implemented.