That's because the United States lags behind the rest of the world in adopting a consistent policy for how customer information can be collected and used, he says. Several European countries already have begun setting privacy policies. And we may find the rest of the world's rules will force us into doing things in ways we don't want to. Others say the FTC's inquiries into E-marketplaces are appropriate. But such inquiries can slow a marketplace's deployment and potentially put it at a competitive disadvantage.
Technology moves much faster than the legal process.
Even legislators acknowledge that the government has difficulty keeping up. Congress has a hard time being fleet-footed enough to keep up with an industry where business plans often are outdated after weeks if not a few months. Kerry and other lawmakers will be hearing more from companies as they home in on what's happening within the Beltway. A growing number of high-tech vendors now have offices in Washington to stay close to the action. In addition, high-tech lobby groups have sprung up.