![]() ![]() Last week, another HP official, technology policy manager Scott Cooper, appeared before McCain's committee to call again for privacy legislation. Since then, Fiorina, recently joined by Michael Dell, has continued to agitate among her fellow CEOs for action. (They) should be empowered to use their own property - that is, their personal information - the way that they choose." She testified on the subject, among others, before the Joint Economic Committee of the Congress in June.īeyond inviting other companies to join HP in the Better Business Bureau Privacy Seal program, her comments were pretty vague, but at least she articulated the central principle: "Consumers' information belongs to them. chief executive Carly Fiorina deserves credit for being among the first top-tier corporate execs to take up the cause. What's new is that the accumulation of such evidence - and in particular, indications that fears about privacy are inhibiting the growth of online commerce and even keeping significant numbers of people offline - have finally inspired some of our political and economic leaders to action, or at least to words. A study released in August by the Pew Internet & American Life Project reported similar findings - with the additional twist that 94 percent of respondents said Internet firms and their top executives should be punished for privacy violations. In March, a BusinessWeek/Harris Poll found 92 percent of Internet users worried about Web sites sharing personal information with others. And 64 percent said they are very concerned about sites passing along information about them to others without their knowledge.įully 71 percent said it is "absolutely essential" that companies ask for consumers' permission before using their personal information for any purpose other than the one for which it was originally given, and another 23 percent rated this requirement "very important."įor those who've followed previous polling, there were no surprises in the new study. Even more, 59 percent, are worried about sites collecting information about them without their knowledge. Among the issues the poll presented, only education elicited more concern (58 percent).Īsked about specific privacy threats, 53 percent said they are very concerned about Web sites linking their names to data about their browsing habits and shopping patterns. Amazingly, the problem outranked, if only slightly, such perennial political favorites as health care, crime and taxes. The study found that 56 percent of Americans said they are "very concerned" about the loss of personal privacy. ![]() The latest evidence that Americans take the problem seriously came last week, with the release of a Harris Interactive survey commissioned by the National Consumers League, a 101-year-old nonprofit, with support from Dell Computer Corp. But the Arizona Republican and his colleagues reportedly pledged a bipartisan push to make the issue a priority when the 107th Congress convenes next year. ![]() The congressional committee that has taken it most seriously - the Senate Commerce Committee, chaired by John McCain - decided last week to shelve the three major privacy-protection bills before it for the current session. But the case is by no means closed, and public opinion can still make a difference - if people who care about the issue speak up.įor better or for worse, no major legislation on the issue is likely to pass this year. So far, the establishment is clearly leaning in the latter direction. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |