Online Privacy Alliance Applauds Ftc’s Plan To Devote More Resources To Enforcing Existing Privacy Laws

FTC Chairman Timothy Muris, in a speech at a privacy conference in Cleveland, said his agency would boost its enforcement budget by 50 percent to crack down on junk e-mail, identity theft, fraudulent attempts to obtain personal information and companies that violate privacy promises to their customers.

“The Commissioner has focused on the real problems of legitimate concern to consumers and put resources in place to address these problems,” said Christine Varney, a former FTC Commissioner and advisor to the Online Privacy Alliance. “The OPA has said all along that laws already exist to protect consumers but these laws need to be better enforced. We are delighted that the FTC has come to the same conclusion.”

The OPA has worked for several years to develop guidelines for protecting consumer privacy and the privacy of children, and helped spread these guidelines ubiquitously across the Web in online privacy policies. These policies are designed to provide consumer with the information they need to make informed decisions about what personal information to share. Varney said consumers should carefully read the policies and make decisions about which Web sites meet their individual privacy requirements.

Muris said that enhanced enforcement would also extend to privacy limits on credit-reporting agencies, financial institutions and Web sites catering to children.

Varney agreed with Muris’s comment that new privacy laws would likely impose new costs on businesses at a time when many are struggling with a downturned economy.

“It is not clear what new laws are needed, how they would benefit consumers or what sort of impact they would have on Internet businesses,” Varney said. “It is better to enforce existing laws effectively and then see if any new legislation is needed.

For more information or a list of OPA member companies and associations, visit www.privacyalliance.org.