The Real Privacy Threat Is From Offline (Not Online) Marketers

[Commentary] Congress and the media have been all over the online community about risks to privacy and the need for more transparency, notice and choice, and there, of course, has been talk of new “Do Not Track” rules. But is the relentless focus on Internet marketers deflecting attention from more worrisome practices in the offline world? Offline marketers collect and share more information on consumers than their online counterparts do -- and it’s more cumbersome for consumers in the offline world to effect change to those practices. Unlike offline marketers, the vast majority of online marketers simply don't collect personally identifiable information, or PII, unless there is an explicit opt-in from consumers.