Twelve diverse industry leaders, including Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, eBay, Procter & Gamble and Eli Lilly, have joined consumer organizations to form the Consumer Privacy Legislative Forum (CPL Forum). The group will explore support for comprehensive federal consumer privacy legislation.

The companies recently issued a joint statement that stressed the need to create a simplified, harmonized and flexible legal framework to allow for the free flow of information and commerce, while providing protection for consumers from increasing incidents of identity theft, fraud and intrusions of privacy.

The effort comes at a time when studies have revealed a decline of consumer trust on the Internet. A nationwide survey released in May 2006 by the Cyber Security Industry Alliance found that 94 percent of people polled said identity theft was a serious problem and only 24 percent indicated that businesses are placing the right emphasis on protecting information.

The following companies kicked off the CPL Forum:

• Eastman Kodak Co.
• eBay Inc.   
• Eli Lilly and Co.
• Google, Inc.
• Hewitt Associates
• Hewlett-Packard Co.
• Intel Corp.
• Microsoft Corp.
• Oracle Corp.
• Procter & Gamble
• Sun Microsystems, Inc.
• Symantec Corp.