Obama Administration To Appoint Web Privacy Czar

According to Ars Technica, the US government is preparing to appoint a privacy czar and introduce legislation to address growing concerns over Internet privacy.

The announcement is expected to come within weeks along with a report from the US Commerce Department, though at this point, the details are apparently far from being hammered out.

The government has historically taken a largely hands-off approach to online privacy, leaving the industry to self-regulate except in extreme cases. According to unnamed insiders the industry’s self-regulation is no longer enough. Under the administration’s proposal, role of the privacy czar would be to “guide” the debate over future legislation.

Unsurprisingly, the Commerce Department wouldn’t comment on the rumor, but did say that the Obama administration is “committed to promoting policies that will preserve consumer privacy online while ensuring the Web remains a platform for innovation, jobs, and economic growth. These are complementary goals, because consumer trust in the Internet is essential for businesses to succeed online.”

Photo by ilco.

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