FTC releases report: picks up two key WPF recommendations in report, numerous cites
The FTC’s new privacy report — a long-awaited plan-book for privacy in the digital age – has picked up several key recommendations the WPF has made. First, the report picks up WPF’s direct recommendation in its 2011 comments that the FTC set up a centralized web site to allow consumers to opt out of data brokers. The FTC has directly called for this as a primary part of its report. The WPF strongly supports this. Pam Dixon of the WPF originated the Do Not Track idea in 2007, and with a group of privacy experts, submitted the original idea to the FTC that year. Now, DNT has also made it into the final FTC report. The FTC report also acknowledges that privacy self-regulatory efforts have not gone far enough, and cited the WPF comments in this area. The FTC is planning on working with the Department of Commerce’s privacy multi stakeholder process. WPF led a coalition of civil liberties, privacy, and consumer groups in drafting civil society guidelines for the privacy multi stakeholder process.