consumer rights FTC policy privacy
Consumer Privacy Groups Ask Congress to End Secret Hearings on Data Industry
EPIC, joined by a coalition of consumer privacy groups, has asked the House of Representatives Privacy Task Force to open to the public meetings that are now taking place in secret in the hearing rooms of Congress. "We recognize that there is value in private meetings among Members and staff and with constituents," the group wrote, but said that "with public matters of common concern" meetings should be held "in the open, a public record should be created, and various viewpoints should be heard." The groups thanked Representatives Blackburn and Welch for examining "the enormously important issue of consumer privacy" but said “there is simply no reason for your task force to hold closed-door sessions." Last year, both the White House and the Federal Trade Commission recommended enactment of consumer privacy legislation.