January 24, 2011 -- The Federal Trade Commission extended the deadline for the public to submit comments on its preliminary framework for protecting consumer privacy until Feb. 18. The staff report was issued on Dec. 1 and originally had a comment deadline of Jan. 31. The report called for the creation of a “do not track” mechanism to allow consumers to choose whether to allow the collection of data regarding their online searching and browsing activities. The report concluded that industry efforts to address privacy through self-regulation have been too slow and failed to provide adequate and meaningful protection. FTC said interested parties had requested more time to respond due to the nature and complexity of the questions and issues raised in the report.
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