Is Government Abusing Personal Information?

Consumers wary of doling out personal information online can soon start looking for a "Fair Data" designation on their favorite websites. On January 28, designated Data Privacy Day, a new benchmark was announced for the treatment of personal information. The Market Research Society (MRS), a U.K.-based research and business intelligence organization, has laid out a set of 10 principles that would earn an organization the distinction of using the Fair Data logo. According to CIO.com, organizations that wish to display the logo must get explicit consent for any data they collect, impose data security, use data exclusively in the manner specified and grant consumers access to any data it holds. Third parties that could potentially access the data must meet these same requirements.