Data Collection: FTC Urging Congress to Pass Digital Privacy Legislation

By Karla Robinson
March 28, 2012

The Federal Trade Commission has submitted a 73-page report concerning privacy practices of commercial data-collectors, asking Congress to pass privacy legislation and telling data aggregators to implement “Do Not Track” buttons in Web browsers this year.
“The agency also for the first time turned its attention to offline data brokers — which buy and sell names, addresses and other personal information — calling on them to create a centralized website providing consumers with better access to their data,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “The agency also wants legislation requiring data brokers to give consumers the right to see and make corrections to their information.”
The Digital Advertising Association, representing over 400 companies, has agreed to the FTC’s “Do Not Track” button request. However, certain associations make different distinctions on tracking; for some, “Do Not Target” is favorable, allowing data collection for market research and product development.
But all of this may not make an impact without legislation from Congress because the FTC can only monitor companies that voluntarily accept its guidelines. “The FTC can then use its authority to prosecute ‘deceptive’ behavior if companies that agree to the guidelines don’t live up to their promises,” the article explains.

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