Obama administration to set up internet privacy overseer
By JR Hoeft | Friday, November 12th, 2010 | PolicyShall we call it the Ministry of Truth or the Protectors of Freedom?
According the Wall Street Journal, the Obama Administration is about to release via the U.S. Commerce Department their vision for “policing Internet privacy” and will call for new regulations and the creation of a new position to oversee these privacy laws.
The proposal may be met with some GOP support on the privacy front, but if there is any legislation that expands the scope and size of government, while stifling commerce, it’s likely to meet strong opposition. Of course, if the legislation is too watered-down, then those seeking tougher privacy laws are not likely to back the administration either.
There is no comprehensive U.S. law that protects consumer privacy online. Internet privacy issues generally are policed by the FTC, which can take action only if a privacy-violating action is deemed “deceptive” or “unfair.”
…
The central issue in writing federal privacy legislation is whether the Internet industry’s efforts to police its own behavior has been effective enough. Proponents of legislation argue the industry is a Wild West where consumer data are gathered and sold without restrictions. Opponents of legislation say the industry is committed to providing tools to give consumers better insight into and control over data about themselves.Commerce’s draft report doesn’t recommend specific legislation, but does indicate that self-regulation isn’t robust enough, these people said. The administration would seek to guide the legislative debate through its new privacy office.
Who picks and chooses the data to protect and not protect? What about information shared globally? Who would the new regulations apply to? What data is protected? What’s considered commerce?
Lots of questions, few answers. This is surely just the beginning of this discussion.
Tags:
Contribute for Conservatism!
Share this post
About the author
Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
We're 75% there! Thank you to everyone who has so far contributed! Just $2000 to go!
Comments
10 Responses to "Obama administration to set up internet privacy overseer"
Let me take a guess. We need to protect the privacy of George Soros, Al Gore, Media Matters and we need to strip the cover off nefarious groups criticizing these pillars of the Obama Administration.
valentinus
Well, what exists in current privacy laws got the guy who hacked Sarah Palins email account thrown into jail for a year.
Kernell was convicted of unauthorized access to a protected computer and destroying records to impede a federal investigation. Jurors acquitted him of wire fraud and deadlocked on an identity theft charge.
I would be suspicious of any alleged protection. It should be combed for any language that gives government easier access to our information while “protecting” us from various companies/individuals. President Obama has come out clearly in favor of enhanced abilities for the govt to snoop even more in our online activities – Facebook,skype etc. Pres. Obama promised us a lot of change, but signed on to the extension of the Patriot Act. Funny how so many hypocrite Democrats opposed state sponsored spying on citizens when Bush was in office. Now that THEIR guy is in office, suddenly it is ok. Reminds me of the Clintons getting FBI files on Republican congressman and Sandy Berger smuggling secret documents in his pants.
I find it ironic that the government is so worried about my privacy on the internet, but thinks nothing about showing my naked body on a large screen or fondeling my private parts in public to fly from Norfolk to DC.
They just want to track all of our online activities. Instead of worry about our activities, they need to track all the banks and automakers they just bailed out if they are spending the tax payers money wisely!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bearing Drift, Spyware Lady. Spyware Lady said: Obama administration to set up internet privacy overseer : Bearing … http://bit.ly/bYBiPz [...]
John, they only “care” *cough* about your privacy in regards to companies and individuals. When it comes to govt and your privacy, all that goes out the window. That’s precisely why Obama signed the extension of the Patriot Act and also why the TSA is using their body scanners and heavy petting techniques to determine if “size really matters”.
Britt I couldn’t agree more about TSA. I seem to recall that we won the Cold War without allowing K-Mart rent-a-cops to feel up grandma when she got on the airplane.
However, we do need to something about the increasingly common commercial invasion of our privacy on the Internet.
But, I agree with J.R., it’s goeing to be bitch to draft.
It’s not as simple as a “Do Not Cookie” list.
Steve, you are right on that front. One of the main functions of govt. is to protect the individual from force & fraud. There’s a whole lot of fraud going on and force when it comes to viruses, trojans etc.
We agree more needs to be done. I’ve just been conditioned to expect less than professional motivations from our elected officials. Hehe.
Leave your response