With both the EU and U.S. in the early stages of reviewing their online data privacy regimes, the White House has defended its blueprint against claims that it is too soft on the digital industry. Daniel Weitzner, President Barack Obama’s deputy chief technology officer for internet policy, said that the ‘multi-stakeholder’ process the White House was proposing, which encourages companies to develop codes of conduct, “is not a code word for deregulation.” Weitzner also said that major companies have indicated to the U.S. administration that they were willing to be bound by such codes. If companies do sign up, he said he was very confident that the FTC would vigorously enforce the codes. Meanwhile, the White House will continue to urge the U.S. Congress to enshrine into law the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights that Obama proposed in February 2012. The report also touches on concerns about the EU-U.S. Safe Harbor Agreement, noting, “There is a growing realization that this agreement will need to be updated in light of the ongoing overhaul of the EU and U.S. privacy frameworks.”
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