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Comments filed with the Federal Trade Commission on “Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change: A Proposed Framework for Businesses and Policymakers.”
The Federal Trade Commission has issued a preliminary staff report proposing a new privacy framework for businesses and policymakers.1 The new framework includes provisions intended to better inform consumers about how their information is being used, provide consumers with easier-to-understand choices including a �Do Not Track� option, and restrict how businesses collect, retain and use data.
Cost-Benefit Analysis of FTC Privacy Proposal Needed
The Federal Trade Commission should rigorously analyze the costs and benefits of its proposed privacy recommendations, including the “Do Not Track” mechanism, before moving forward with any policy proposals, states Thomas Lenard in comments submitted in response to the Commission’s Staff Report on privacy. Without such an analysis, the Commission cannot accurately predict if its recommendations will improve or reduce consumer welfare.
TPI Aspen Forum Registration Now Open
Online registration is now open for the Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum, scheduled for August 21 – 23.
The Google-ITA Merger Review Approaches the Finish Line
Cloud Computing Impacts Network Architecture, Policy Issues
The rising popularity of cloud computing will require changes to the underlying network architecture, raising questions about the impact of regulations on the fledgling industry, explains Christopher Yoo in, “Cloud Computing: Architectural and Policy Implications,” released today by the Technology Policy Institute. The paper is a revised version of a paper presented at the recent TPI conference, “Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in High-Tech Industries.”
Cloud Computing: Architectural and Policy Implications
Cloud computing has emerged as perhaps the hottest development in information technology. Despite all of the attention it has garnered, existing analyses focus almost exclusively on the issues surrounding data privacy without exploring cloud computing�s architectural and policy implications. This Article offers an initial exploratory analysis in that direction. It begins by introducing key cloud computing concepts, such as service oriented architectures, thin clients, and virtualization, and discusses the leading delivery models and deployment strategies being pursued by cloud computing providers. It then analyzes the economics of cloud computing in terms of reducing costs, transforming capital expenditures into operating expenditures, aggregating demand, increasing reliability, and reducing latency. It then discusses the architectural implications of cloud computing for access networking (focusing on bandwidth, reliability, quality of service, and ubiquity) and data center interconnectivity (focusing on bandwidth, reliability, security and privacy, control over routing policies, standardization, and metering and payment). It closes by offering a few observations on the impact of cloud computing on the industry structure for data centers, server-related technologies, router-based technologies, and access networks, as well as its implications for regulation.
Commerce Department Green Paper – a lot of Opinion, not a lot of Data
Comments filed with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on “Information Privacy and Innovation in the Internet Economy”
Comments filed with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on “Information Privacy and Innovation in the Internet Economy”
Cost-Benefit Analysis Needed for Commerce Department Privacy Framework
The U.S. Department of Commerce should rigorously analyze the costs and benefits of its proposed privacy framework and alternative policy proposals before moving forward with any recommendations, states Thomas Lenard in comments submitted today in response to the agency’s Green Paper on online privacy. Without such an analysis, the agency cannot accurately predict if its proposal will improve or reduce consumer welfare.