"WashU Expert: New Rules Needed to Govern Consumer Privacy"
Without realizing it, consumers often provide businesses with vast amounts of personal information, including their purchase and web browsing history, vacation plans, and even their friends' names. The fact that consumers typically do not read or comprehend the permissions they give corporations to use their personal data is a major factor. As part of its responsibility to regulate and prevent unfair and deceptive business activities, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is considering a proposed rule to govern commercial surveillance of consumer data. Neil Richards, the Koch Distinguished Professor in Law and co-director of the Cordell Institute for Policy in Medicine and Law at Washington University in St. Louis, stated that the rule would be a significant and long-overdue improvement to consumer protection in the US. Richards, together with Woodrow Hartzog, a law professor at Boston University, and Cordell Institute research fellow Jordan Francis, submitted official comments to the FTC concerning the proposed new rule. The comment period has concluded, and a decision on the proposed rule is expected to be made in the spring. Richards stated that the current 'notice and choice' approach for privacy protection in the US has failed to protect consumers since consumer choice and consent to companies' data practices are illusory. In their comments, they explain that a new model based on data loyalty is the most effective method to shield consumers from the harms of commercial surveillance. Their proposal, which would require companies to act in the best interests of the individuals whose data they hold, offers the possibility of a sustainable and fair marketplace where everyone may benefit except the dishonest. The researchers urge the commission to promote data privacy and security regulations that foster trust. This article continues to discuss the FTC considering a proposed rule to regulate commercial surveillance of consumers' data and experts' comments on the need for new rules to govern consumer privacy.