In the beginning of 2012, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has made it clear that the collection and dissemination of consumer data is a high priority. Companies in the direct response industry that collect and sell consumer data to third parties are well advised to review their practices to ensure they are complying with all applicable laws, even if the coverage of such laws is not clearly obvious.
Earlier this year, the FTC issued a privacy report titled Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change. While the agency’s preliminary privacy report issued last year focused on issues relating to online behavioral tracking and ad serving and hinted at recommending legislation on that area, in this report, the FTC applauded industry’s continued attempts to self-regulate and appeared to retreat from a formal recommendation to Congress that a law be introduced to regulate these activities.
Read the article here.