Infosys 204
Written Assignment #3
The Legislative History
In May, 2000, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a report to Congress entitled, “Privacy Online: Fair Information Practices in the Electronic Marketplace.” The report is included in your reader under the second-to-last tab.
Your assignment is to read the report carefully, focusing in particular on the logic that leads the FTC to its recommendations (see Section IV).
Then, write a 2-3 page paper that:
(1) Identifies weaknesses in the ways in which the FTC collected evidence in their study and how those weaknesses may have skewed their conclusions. (approx. ˝ page)
(2) Points out institutional limits of a federal agency that might also have affected their findings, when such limits are visible from a close reading the report itself (do not investigate the personal lives of the Commissioners, please). (approx. ˝ page)
(3) Presents your own opinion as to whether or not the proposed recommendations in Section IV are likely to solve the problems identified by the Commission in its Report and why. (approx. 1 page)
(4) Regardless of your ultimate conclusion in (3), make at least two recommendations to improve the Commission’s recommendations in Part IV. (approx. 1 page)
Please re-read the Memos on both Assignment #1 and Assignment #2 before you begin writing. Pay close attention to footnoting format if you use footnotes or endnotes.
Due Date: Tuesday, October
7, 2003
Note:
Students observing the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur may submit their
papers on October 8, 2003, but only if they inform me in advance of their wish
to do so.
Additional Resources
You may certainly take into account the development of online privacy in the three years since the Commission’s report was completed, including any legislation, litigation, new problems, or developments in self-regulation efforts. You need not do so, however. If you do use outside resources, be careful to give proper citations so that I can find them (see Memo on Assignment #2).
The FTC itself has a Privacy Homepage which collects a variety of information about the topic and developments since May, 2000: http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/index.html.
Likewise, you are free to review material on any of the advocacy websites listed on the Resources page of the course website.