Commerce Department Issues Privacy Law Recommendations

On December 16, 2010, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued its long-awaited report on consumer privacy, proposing a framework with recommendations for addressing online privacy issues in the United States.¹ Representing a departure from the past hands-off approach, the Obama administration recommends increased government activity in the area of consumer privacy protection. Entitled Commercial Data Privacy and Innovation in the Internet Economy: A Dynamic Policy Framework, the report provides a detailed analysis of current privacy issues and makes various proposals with respect to certain core privacy principles in order to assure baseline consumer protections. The Commerce Department seeks to improve the state of privacy domestically and advance interoperability among the various privacy regimes around the world so that Internet-based products and services can continue to grow.