Data Protection News and Legislation

There are unique privacy issues web analytics raise. As an industry, we should do our best to rationalize the privacy concerns, educate all constituencies, and provide comfort to the user.

Initiatives and Issues:

Current Federal and State Legislation

HIPPA Privacy [PDF]
Learn more about the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and how it affects privacy issues through requiring standardization of electronic data interchange, protection of confidentiality, and security of health data through the setting and enforcement of standards.

Financial Privacy: The Gramm-Leach Bliley Act
Learn more about the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and how it affects privacy issues through requiring standardization of electronic data interchange, protection of confidentiality, and security of health data through the setting and enforcement of standards.

Current International Legislation

EU Data Protection Web Site
Access information about data protection in the European Union.

Best Practices and Standards:

W3C P3P Platform for Privacy Preferences
The Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, is emerging as an industry standard providing a simple, automated way for users to gain more control over the use of personal information on Web sites they visit. At its most basic level, P3P is a standardized set of multiple-choice questions, covering all the major aspects of a Web site's privacy policies.

NAI Web Beacon Guidelines [PDF]
These guidelines are designed to address consumer concerns regarding the use of Web Beacons by educating businesses about the purpose of Web Beacons and the appropriate provision of notice and choice when Web Beacons are being used.