Germany for example, has extremely strong privacy laws which parallel a thriving economy. It has been our experience that the compliance cost argument advanced by a few industry groups is based primarily on ideology, and fuelled almost entirely by rhetoric. It would be wise to remember that privacy law is not an encumbrance, but an aid to a rich, diverse, fair, efficient and trustworthy private sector economy. And above that, it is a protection which is necessary and right. Businesses which oppose privacy protection on the grounds of alleged compliance costs cannot be trusted to respect personal information.
Voluntary codes can never be a substitute for good law.
Indeed, Privacy International is aware of no voluntary code anywhere in the world which provides citizens with even the most rudimentary protections found in law. We urge you to take immediate steps to reverse your decision, and restore the government's original commitment to enact legislation. It is a commitment which all businesses should respect, and which all Australians will support. USA Dr John Downey, Senior lecturer , Communication, Culture, and Media, University of Coventry, UK Robert Ellis Smith, Publisher, the Privacy Journal, Providence, RI, USA James Love, Director, Consumer project on technology, Washington DC, USA Professor Colin Bennet, Department of Political Science, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Professor Rohan Samarajiva Departent of Communications, University of Ohio, USA Jerome Thorel, editor, Planete Internet, Paris, France Lee Bygrave, Norwegian Research Centre for Computers and Law, Oslo.