WPF Urges Fair Privacy Stakeholder Process

NTIA Multistakeholder Process — The US Department of Commerce has announced that it is supporting privacy legislation and a “stakeholder process” to determine self regulatory rules for Internet privacy. WPF wrote about what a fair stakeholder process needs to include in our comments to the US Department of Commerce.

We urge that at a minimum, the stakeholder process will include these items:

1) Consumer and business representation be equal in any multi-stakeholder process.

2) Approval of consumer representatives must be a necessary element in any formal decisions, just as the approval of business will be necessary.

3) Consumers must select their own representatives through a process yet to be determined, and consumer representatives may not be designated or limited by business or government.

4) Consumer organization that require financial assistance to participate in the multi- stakeholder process should receive support for travel and other expenses (but not for staff support).

5) Government agencies may participate in the process, but no agency may have a vote.

6) Participants in the process must chose their own rules and presiding officer.

7) Certifiers of accountability with codes of conduct should be not-for-profit organizations that are wholly independent of business, consumers, and government.