That body of privacy law is growing, as are the groups affected by it.
Some businesses get even more scrutiny.
Any business that deals with consumers on the Web can attract a lot of scrutiny these days when it comes to privacy. Over the course of the following year, a second FTC study reaffirmed the need for privacy policies to be posted on Web sites, Slutsky said. One of the more high-profile cases involved Toysmart, a Web site that marketed and sold children's toys via the Internet, Slutsky said. Through its Web site, Toysmart collected personal information about its visitors, including name, address, billing information, shopping preferences, and family profiles, including the names and birth dates of children. In its new policy, the No. 1 retailer on the Internet disclosed the list of data it collects and keeps on customers, the fact that it can purchase information on customers from outside sources, and that if the company is ever sold, the customer data goes with it.