Some Companies Actually Want More Privacy Regulation

The Obama Administration made official its call for a comprehensive privacy law today, and there are signals that industry support for such a move might be broader than expected.

To start with, a privacy official from Microsoft, a key industry player, voiced the company’s support for new federal legislation, saying that the current patchwork of industry-by-industry privacy rules is too cumbersome. The government’s proposal, which was laid out to a Senate committee today by Commerce Department official Larry Strickling, will provide a “baseline” of privacy protections. Strickling didn't define exactly what those are, but said that the administration is ready to work with Congress and hammer out the details. And Microsoft wasn't the only company in the somewhat unusual position of asking for more regulation. “If this collection of data is allowed to continue unchecked, then capitalism will build what the government never could—a complete surveillance state online,” said Barbara Lawler, Chief Privacy Officer for Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other software.