The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has released its long-anticipated staff report on consumer privacy, The New Zealand Herald reports. The report, "Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change: A Proposed Framework for Businesses and Policymakers," released Wednesday, includes preliminary recommendations. It calls for increased transparency and simplified consumer choice and endorses the creation of a do-not-track mechanism that would let consumers opt out of targeted advertising and data collection. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said the report makes recommendations for best practices and is "not a template for enforcement." Early reaction to the report runs the gamut--from praise to rejection to additional questions, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The FTC will accept comments on the report through January 31, 2011.
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