Comments filed with NTIA on the “Information Privacy and Innovation in the Internet Economy.”
Privacy and Security
Questions about privacy are central to the digital economy. We study how much people value privacy, the privacy paradox, and developments in state and federal privacy legislation. Our work has contributed to policy discussions of data portability, data regulation, and advertising models.
Journal Article: In Defense of Data: Information and the Cost of Privacy
The commercial use of information on the Internet has produced substantial benefits for consumers, explain TPI President Thomas Lenard and Senior Fellow Paul Rubin in “In Defense of Data: Information and the Cost of Privacy,” published today by the Policy & Internet Journal. In the article, the authors argue that firms have incentives to satisfy customers’ privacy preferences and that restrictions in the legitimate use of information may not lead to further privacy benefits.
In Defense of Data: Information and the Costs of Privacy, Policy & Internet Journal
The commercial use of information on the Internet has produced substantial benefits for consumers. But, as the use of information online has increased, so have concerns about privacy. This paper discusses how the use of individuals� information for commercial purposes affects consumers, and the implications of restricting information availability in the interest of privacy. It lays out a range of information benefits to consumers of the commercial use of online information, including targeted services, cost reductions through targeted advertising, efficient search engines, differential pricing and re-use of information. It argues that firms have incentives to satisfy customers� privacy preferences and that restrictions in the legitimate use of information may not lead to further privacy benefits. It discusses a number of policy proposals geared at maximizing privacy, arguing that benefits to consumers would be outweighed by the information costs.
In Defense of Data: Information and the Costs of Privacy
The commercial use of information on the Internet has produced substantial benefits for consumers. But, as the use of information online has increased, so have concerns about privacy. This paper discusses how the use of individuals� information for commercial purposes affects consumers, and the implications of restricting information availability in the interest of privacy.
In Defense of Data: Information and the Costs of Privacy – Executive Summary
The commercial use of information on the Internet has produced substantial benefits for consumers. But, as the use of information online has increased, so have concerns about privacy. This paper discusses how the use of individuals� information for commercial purposes affects consumers, and the implications of restricting information availability in the interest of privacy.
An Examination of the Google-DoubleClick Merger and the Online Advertising Industry: What Are the Risks For Competition and Privacy. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Committee on the Judiciary
Lenard, Thomas. “An Examination of the Google-DoubleClick Merger and the Online Advertising Industry: What Are the Risks For Competition and Privacy.” Testimony before the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate, September 27, 2007.