Recent revelations that Google, Facebook and potentially many other sites have found ways around web browser security to track consumers has drawn greater attention to consumer privacy online.
Yesterday, President Obama and his administration unveiled the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, which looks to protect the unauthorized tracking or use of any data related to a specific individual. Consumers, in simple terms, can choose not to be tracked.
In introducing the initiative the President acknowledged that innovation in the marketplace has been driven "by novel uses of personal information," adding, "it is incumbent on us to do what we have done throughout history: apply our timeless privacy values to the new technologies and circumstances of our times."
The Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights rests on seven pillars:
- Individual control - Consumers have the right to control what personal data companies collect and how it is used.
- Transparency - It shouldn't involve legal training for consumers to find and understand the privacy practices of companies.
- Context - Companies that collect and use personal data will do so in ways consistent with how consumers provided the data.
- Security - Consumers have the right to expect that the use of personal data will be done in ways that do not put them at risk.
- Access and Accuracy - Companies should make efforts to make sure that personal data is accurate and provide access to consumers to correct data that is inaccurate.
- Focused Collection - Consumers have the right to expect that collection of their personal data will be limited and restricted by the context of how it was supplied in the first place.
- Accountability - Companies are responsible for taking all steps necessary to establish systems, train employees and limit the access of third parties to consumers' personal data. They are responsible both to consumers and enforcement authorities to assure this takes place.
In a related announcement, the Digital Advertising Alliance, which includes AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo! and others, has committed to use "Do Not Track" technology to make it easier for consumers to limit access to personal data.
In an online poll on The Wall Street Journal site, roughly 93 percent of respondents said they would make use of a "Do Not Track" button if it were available on web browsers.
- We Can't Wait: Obama Administration Calls for A Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights for the Digital Age - The White House
- Obama's "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights" tackles online privacy concerns - CBS News
- Tech Giants Agree to Deal on Privacy Policies for Apps - The Wall Street Journal
- Privacy Law Group - The Wall Street Journal