All, See: http://www.informationweek.com/795/privacy.htm http://www.informationweek.com/795/privacy2.htm http://www.informationweek.com/795/privacy3.htm Intresting excerpts: Such activities have turned online privacy into an explosive issue, one that many companies may be underestimating. "There are a lot of heads in the sand," says Gary Clayton, founder and CEO of the Privacy Council, a Dallas company created to help businesses improve privacy practices. "Data flows through a company like water flows through pipes. I don't think businesses have really thought about how they manage this data, how it flows throughout the company. They haven't answered the questions: How do you get it, how do you use it, and who has rights to it?" For the FTC, the suit against Toysmart.com demonstrates not the power of the people, but the problems with online privacy. "The FTC has the ability to take action in this case because Toysmart.com had a privacy policy and violated it," says an FTC spokesman. "But most companies don't have a policy at all, and they're free to do as they see fit with personal data. Our ability to protect the public is not sufficient to deal with the scope of the problem." And... Earlier this month, the European Parliament voted down the so-called "Safe Harbor Agreement," which would have allowed the export of electronic data on European citizens to the United States. The European Union's 1998 Data Protection Directive requires that European consumers be allowed to access and correct their data and specifically agree to sharing it with others. It also forbids the transfer of data on European citizens to countries that don't meet these standards. The Safe Harbor Agreement, announced May 30 after two years of negotiations with the U.S. Department of Commerce, says U.S. companies that agree to comply with voluntary guidelines would gain "safe harbor" from prosecution for importing data on European consumers. The agreement calls on the Commerce Department to keep a list of safe harbor-eligible companies, the FTC to review complaints, and the Department of Transportation and the FTC to police E-commerce Web sites and brick-and-mortar companies for violations. Personal notes: Mrs. Burr, one wonders why the DOC/NTIA has not directed ICANN in relationship to the DNS issues with respect to Privacy in "Whois" data for instance? When might ICANN adopt a privacy policy similar to the EU's? Regards, -- Jeffrey A. Williams Spokesman INEGroup (Over 112k members strong!) CEO/DIR. Internet Network Eng/SR. Java/CORBA Development Eng. Information Network Eng. Group. INEG. INC. E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] Contact Number: 972-447-1800 x1894 or 9236 fwd's to home ph# Address: 5 East Kirkwood Blvd. Grapevine Texas 75208
