Companies must implement their obligations under the seal programs in a way that actually empowers consumers. Privacy policies should not be buried in fine print. They must be brought to the consumer's attention using the same techniques that make advertising so successful. Those policies must be in plain English, not legalese. And seal programs themselves must demonstrate that their enforcement systems work.
Some people get it.
An editorial in last week's Business Week , which is hardly a bastion of pro-regulatory sentiment, said that unless companies act to protect privacy soon, the government will step in. That is not a result I want. That's not the result that is best for the future of the Internet and e-tailing.