Jenna Levy
Obama Administration Unveils Plan to Protect Privacy in the Information Age, including a “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights”
On February 23, 2012, the White House revealed its plan to protect privacy in the information age, which includes a “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights.” The Obama Administration explains that as a world leader in the Internet marketplace, the US has a special responsibility to develop effective privacy practices that meet global standards and to protect individual privacy rights and give users more control over how their information is handled.
The White House plan consists of three steps:
1) Putting in place a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights (see below)
2) Achieving Privacy Policies for a Global, Open Market
3) Industry Action
The Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights contains seven rights:
1) Individual Control: Consumers have a right to exercise control over what personal data companies collect from them and how they use it.
2) Transparency: Consumers have a right to easily understandable and accessible information about privacy and security practices.
3) Respect for Context: Consumers have a right to expect that companies will collect, use, and disclose personal data in ways that are consistent with the context in which consumers provide data.
4) Security: Consumers have a right to secure and responsible handling of personal data.
5) Access and Accuracy: Consumers have a right to access and correct personal data in usable formats, in a matter that is appropriate to the sensitivity of the data and the risk of adverse consequences to consumers if the data is inaccurate.
6) Focused Collection: Consumers have a right to reasonable limits on the personal data that companies collect and retain.
7) Accountability: Consumers have a right to have personal data handled by companies with appropriate measures in place to assure they adhere to the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights.
For the official press release with the complete plan and more in depth explanation of the rights contained in the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, see http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/02/23/fact-sheet-plan-protect-privacy-internet-age-adopting-consumer-privacy-b
For some of the first articles about the plan, please see the following:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203960804577239774264364692.html?mod=business_newsreel
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-02-23/ftc-consumer-internet-privacy/53213162/1