September 11, 2000

Contact: Jim Harper

(202) 486-0824

Privacilla.org was unveiled today, a Web site dealing with all aspects of privacy as a policy issue. The site can be found at http://www.privacilla.org/. Privacilla.org also released a report entitled, "Assessing Threats to Privacy: The Government Sector - Greatest Menace to Privacy By Far."

The site advocates free-market solutions to privacy problems and makes sources from that perspective available to press.

"Many facets of the privacy issue have not been examined," said Jim Harper, founder and principal of PolicyCounsel.Com, which maintains Privacilla.org. "Privacilla.org will shed more light on this complex, but crucial Information Age issue."

The Privacilla report comes in advance of the Global Privacy Summit in Washington, D.C. this week, at which policymakers from around the world will meet with business leaders and privacy advocates to discuss use of personal data.

"Political leaders and regulators who have proposed to protect privacy by clamping down on private sector information practices are truly throwing stones in glass houses," says the Privacilla report. "While there is some glass left, they should take a good look at their own reflections. The most plentiful and serious threats to privacy are of their own making."

The report catalogues numerous examples of the United States government and others snooping on citizens, conscripting businesses and technologies into surveillance schemes, and preventing individuals from protecting their own privacy.

"Here in the United States, we already have a privacy bill of rights. It is called 'the Fourth Amendment,'" said Harper. "But the Fourth Amendment and the statutes that protect our privacy from the government are weak, eroded, and full of loopholes. This is the greatest threat to privacy we face."

Privacilla.org is a uniquely organized Web site and project. Devoid of graphics, the site catalogues the entire privacy issue, breaking it down into a series of short papers. Anyone may comment on any paper, and propose new topics, text, or links. In addition, anyone may copy and use the material on the site in any way, as long as the resulting content may also be copied and used. This draws heavily on the "open source" software development model.