The FTC showed its hand this week, foreshadowing a crackdown on companies not adequately protecting consumer data, and proposing a “Do Not Track” list to protect consumers from behavioral advertising. In the wake of outlining an entirely new way of thinking of data protection for business, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz stated that the FTC “will take action against companies that cross the line with consumer data and violate consumers’ privacy – especially when children and teens are involved.”

On December 1, 2010, the FTC released a report entitled “Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change.” In its report, the Commission proposes a framework for how companies that collect consumer data should protect consumers’ privacy. The Commission also describes a series of roundtable