<HTML>"The U.S. Federal Trade Commission this week issued a request for public comments about a proposed set of data privacy guidelines that would affect companies looking to share share credit records and other consumer information with affiliated businesses." Read the full story <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/12/21/data.privacy.guidelines.idg/index.html">here</a>. </HTML>
RE: FTC seeks input on new pri Another important aspect of privacy rights that needs consumer support and awareness is our "right to expect privacy" of our email. When we are forced to to turn to the courts as a last resort seeking justice or accountability, the latest ploy used by corporate law firms is to try to intimidate consumers by seeking the courts assistance in demanding all emails received or sent by you, as well as at times demanding the actual hard drive itself. They should not be allowed access to freely find out what information we may have gained via our emails through corresponding with ex-employees of theirs or other possible victims. Courts should not, under any circumstances, allow this intrusion. We do not have access to the personal emails of the corporate officers or even their employees, we should never be forced to release our personal emails and betray the confidence of innocent consumers who may have contacted us. Federal Laws protect us with snail mail, the same right to privacy should exist with private email. If not, I fear in the future, consumers will stop seeking accountability through the courts or communicating with other victims (which is exactly their intent) knowing that private, personal and/or irrelevant letters sent (or received) to family and friends may be a matter of public record. We have a Constitutional right to speak freely, and unless we post in a public forum our letters should remain private.
