The world’s biggest technology companies have kick-started a campaign for a US-wide privacy law. However, privacy advocates fear the proposal is too weak when compared to some of the state laws it would overrule.
Google, Microsoft, Intel, eBay, HP, Oracle and Sun are among the signatories to a statement calling for personal information to be protected across the US. Non-profit lobby group the Centre for Democracy and Technology organised the companies into the Consumer Privacy Legislative Forum.
“The time has come for a serious process to consider comprehensive harmonised federal privacy legislation to create a simplified, uniform but flexible legal framework,” the CPL Forum’s statement said. “The legislation should provide protection for consumers from inappropriate collection and misuse of their personal information and also enable legitimate businesses to use information to promote economic and social value.”
Privacy laws are currently operated on a state-by-state basis in the US and some, such as California’s, offer considerable protection. Central to the CPL Forum’s proposal is that any law automatically overrules state laws on privacy.
There’s one little phrase that makes everything else the companies say BS.
“and also enable legitimate businesses to use information to promote economic and social value”
Q: What the Hell does that mean?
A: Whatever they want it to.
This is just more deceptive double-talk crap like when they call DRM a “Security Update”.