Contact: Jim Harper

(202) 546-3701

http://www.privacilla.org

Washington, D.C. — Jim Harper, Editor of Privacy Web site Privacilla.org, commented today on the release of a new national "sweep" study of on-line privacy policies by the Progress & Freedom Foundation. The study updates previous reports that have focused on the availability of privacy policies on commercial Web sites. Harper's comments follow:

With nearly unanimous adoption of privacy policies by mainstream commerce sites, the era of government intervention can end. Clearly, a culture of privacy exists in the online marketplace.

Consumers have the information they need to make decisions about their privacy online. Consumers are capable of making decisions about their privacy online.

A new phase in the privacy debate should focus on learning what consumers want and how to deliver it. This will not happen in Washington, D.C. It will happen across the country, wherever consumers and businesses interact.

Self-styled consumer groups should not tattle to the Federal Trade Commission every time they disagree with a company's privacy policy. Unless there is deception or harm, real consumers in the marketplace should judge right and wrong on privacy.

Now the privacy debate should focus on giving citizens as much privacy protection when they deal with government as they have when they deal with business.

Privacilla.org (http://www.privacilla.org) is an innovative Web site that captures "privacy" as a public policy issue. Privacilla has been described as a "privacy policy portal" and an "online think-tank."