U.S. Privacy Law Sought

A patchwork of state, federal, and international privacy regulations threatens the confidence of consumers and businesses, says Brad Smith, senior vice president and general counsel for Microsoft. While Microsoft in the past has favored voluntary compliance and improved technology over government involvement, the company is now calling for strong federal U.S. legislation that will establish consistent rules.

Call for Consistency

In a Nov. 3, 2005, talk to the U.S. Congressional Internet Caucus, Smith called for a strong national standard for privacy regulations. Most U.S. privacy regulation occurs at the state level, creating situations in which a practice that is legal in one state is illegal in another, and many of these laws and regulations apply different rules to different industries. In addition, the U.S. federal government has passed separate laws to govern use of personal data by the financial industry, healthcare providers, cable company customers, and telecommunications companies, plus special rules for children’s personal data.