Ari Schwartz of CDT writes:
Internet privacy continues to be a major concern among Americans. In a recent study, the Annenberg School found that 69 percent of American adults feel there should be a law that gives people the right to know everything that a website knows about them; 92 percent of those surveyed believe there should be a law that requires “websites and advertising companies to delete all stored information about an individual,” if requested to do so; and 35 percent of the respondents believe that officials of companies that break these laws should serve jail time. These strong responses suggest that there is pent-up anger about the lack of transparency, control and respect for the use of personal information.
Therefore, it is surprising that in his recent op-ed on The Hill website (“Protecting consumer privacy online,” Jan. 11) the president of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Randall Rothenberg, would not only continue to suggest that industry is adequately addressing all privacy concerns, but also would cite a report calling for greater law enforcement action in doing so.
Read more on The Hill.