Striking a balance between consumer privacy protection and government control is very difficult and the battle is ongoing. Some say a solution is long overdue and online consumers have been hoping that this will end soon. Both privacy advocates and legislators are working hard, but they seem to be heading in opposite directions. Will the addition of regulations lead to the assurance of internet privacy, or could it be a question of self-regulation that is just not working?
Today, technology grows so fast that collecting consumer information can be done in many ways. Data collection becomes increasingly sophisticated and such data is very useful at some times, but at other times, it is not. There is an increase in privacy breaches, which indicates abuse of collected information. Therefore, laws concerning consumer data protection must be put into place.
A government official has recently called on representatives of some government agencies to stand as witnesses. They testified about the situation regarding information collection by some private companies. The representatives admitted that collection and compilation of personal profiles by these companies has been heightened. Some do it as part of their marketing and advertising campaigns, while others do it for other purposes. A lot of concerns have been raised regarding this, many of which remain unresolved.
The government has laid down the details of each step that it is taking to promote internet privacy. One of these is the enforcement of current laws that oblige companies to improve data protection strategies. Companies have agreed to sell personal information only in cases that are considered acceptable. It was admitted by some of the witnesses that the safeguards are not enough. They said that there is a need to pass legislation for the creation of a new set of rules. These rules would drive private industry to guarantee better safety for those consumers who use the internet.
If self-regulation among users and data gathering companies is maintained, there is no need to implement additional laws. On one hand, consumers should be conscientious about the information that they share online because when users are more careful, there will be less privacy issues. On the other hand, data gathering companies should treat private information with value. Users entrust their private information to them without any hesitation and with no thought that it could be used against them. Self-regulation should work both ways so that maximum consumer protection can be achieved.
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