FTC Releases Final Consumer Privacy Report

Today, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a final report setting forth best practices for businesses to protect the privacy of American consumers and give them greater control over the collection and use of their personal data, entitled “Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change: Recommendations for Businesses and Policymakers.” The FTC also issued a brief new video explaining the FTC’s positions.  Here are the key take-aways from the final report:

  • Privacy by Design. Companies should incorporate privacy protections in developing their products, and in their everyday business practices. These include reasonable security for consumer data, limited collection and retention of such data, and reasonable procedures to ensure that such data is accurate;
  • Simplified Choice. Companies should give consumers the option to decide what information is shared about them, and with whom. Companies should also give consumers that choice at a time and in a context that matters to people, although choice need not be provided for certain “commonly accepted practices” that the consumer would expect.
  • Do Not Track. Companies should include a Do-Not-Track mechanism that would provide a simple, easy way for consumers to control the tracking of their online activities.
  • Increased Transparency. Companies should disclose details about their collection and use of consumers’ information, and provide consumers access to the data collected about them.
  • Small Businesses Exempt. The above restrictions do not apply to companies who collect only non-sensitive data from fewer than 5,000 consumers a year, provided they don’t share the data with third parties.

Interestingly, the FTC’s focus on consumer unfairness, rather than consumer deception, was something that FTC Commissioner Julie Brill hinted to me when we discussed overreaching privacy policies and terms of service at Fordham University’s Big Data, Big Issues symposium earlier this month.

If businesses want to minimize the chances of finding themselves the subject of an FTC investigation, they should be prepared to follow these best practices. If you have any questions about what the FTC’s guidelines mean for your business, please feel free to contact us.