US Government To Put More Teeth Into Laws To Protect Internet Users / image via Saypeople.com
A US trade regulation agency is pushing for more government authority to prevent the unlawful use of private information belonging to Internet users, amid the growing demand for tougher teeth against violators of Internet privacy rules.
The US Federal Trade Commission or FTC today said it is pressuring Internet companies to install by the end of the year safeguards such as a “Do Not Track” system that will prevent the misuse of Internet user information, which mainly are identities and data on online activities.
It is public knowledge that social networking sites such as Facebook, Google and Twitter commonly amass huge amounts of personal data from their millions of users, and a vast information pool could be misused.
In a new report released in Washington Monday, the FTC said recommended Internet company safeguards would give consumers the power to control their data. For instance, allowing users to click a button on their Internet browsers to ensure that personal information and similar private data remain intact and uncollected.
However, industry experts consider the FTC virtually powerless to institute such mandatory safeguards by itself, having relied so far on Internet companies to put in place effective user security systems voluntarily.
It is noteworthy that the FTC continues to have the power to punish companies violating their own policies and regulations, and those known to engage in deceptive practices.
There are hopes that Congress will pass new tough laws to police the ever-widening Internet landscape and address situations considered novel and unique to the Internet.
This comes amid the increasing public outrage against the reportedly widespread practice by would-be employers of demanding social media account usernames and passwords from job applicants.
