Anyone dealing with domestic and global privacy laws take note: The Department of Commerce is seeking public comment on issues related to domestic and global privacy policies as part of a broad review of how those policies impact innovation in the information economy and on whether current laws serve consumer interests.
Among other things, the Notice of Inquiry seeks comment on the U.S. privacy framework, such as whether the customary “notice and choice” approach to consumer protection is still effective or whether alternatives might be used. The notice also asks about the hurdles companies face in complying with diverse state privacy laws and regulations, and how it affects business activities and companies’ ability to operate online, and the challenges associated with international privacy laws, including the types of foreign privacy laws that have the greatest impact on companies’ business models, the approaches businesses have used to comply with laws in multiple foreign jurisdictions, and their affect on global Internet commerce, compliance costs, product development process, and Internet users.
