Markets Wired

The Federal Trade Commission today released the agenda for its second roundtable on consumer privacy issues scheduled for January 28, 2010. The second roundtable, hosted by the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, will take place at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law Booth Auditorium. The roundtable is the second of three public events designed to explore the privacy challenges that are posed by technology and business practices that collect and use consumer data. The agenda, available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/privacyroundtables/index.shtml, continues the public dialogue by focusing on how technology affects consumer privacy, including its potential to weaken and/or strengthen privacy protections. The roundtable will also explore privacy implications of several evolving technologies, including social networking and other platform services, cloud computing, and mobile computing.

Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour and Bureau of Consumer Protection Director David Vladeck will kick off the event, and members of industry, consumer groups, academia and government will participate in the five panels. Daniel J. Weitzner, Associate Administrator for Policy, National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the Department of Commerce will provide special remarks.

The Commission also released more information on its third and final privacy roundtable on March 17, 2010. The event will take place at the FTC Conference Center in Washington, DC. The third roundtable will address such issues as how best to protect health data and other sensitive consumer information, and identity management and accountability approaches to privacy. It will also look back at some of the themes raised throughout the series of roundtable events.

The Privacy Roundtables are free and open to the public. Pre-registration is not required. Members of the public and press who wish to participate but who cannot attend can view a live Webcast.

Individuals and organizations may submit requests to participate as panelists in the third roundtable and may recommend topics for inclusion on the agenda. The requests and recommendations should be submitted electronically to privacyroundtable@ftc.gov. Prospective panelists for the third roundtable should submit a statement detailing their expertise on the issues to be addressed and contact information, no later than February 12, 2010. Panelists will be selected based on expertise and the need to include a broad range of views. Please note that if you already have submitted a request to participate in the first or second roundtable event, you need not submit another request. All requests already submitted will be considered for the third roundtable.

The Commission also invites interested parties to submit written comments or original research. A list of specific questions to inform the third roundtable discussions is available on the Commission’s Web site at www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/privacyroundtables. Although the comment period will remain open until March 17, 2010, only those comments submitted by February 26, 2010, will be considered prior to the third roundtable.

Comments should refer to “Privacy Roundtables – Comment, Project No. P095416.” To file electronically, follow the instructions and fill out the form at
https://public.commentworks.com/ftc/privacyroundtable1. Paper comments should include the above reference both in the text and on the envelope, and should be mailed or delivered to: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H-135 (Annex P), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Comments containing confidential material, however, must be filed in paper form, must be clearly labeled “Confidential,” and must comply with Commission Rule 4.9(c). The FTC requests that any paper comments be sent by courier or overnight service, if possible, because postal mail in the Washington area and at the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security precautions.

Both roundtable venues are accessible to people with disabilities. For the second roundtable, interested parties may obtain additional information about campus access at http://dsp.berkeley.edu/access.html. Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Requests should be submitted via e-mail to cmcglothlin@ftc.gov or by calling Carrie McGlothlin at 202-326-3388. Requests should be made in advance. Please include a detailed description of the accommodation needed, and provide contact information.

The Federal Trade Commission works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive,
and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid
them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other
fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to
more than 1,700 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For
free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm.