Direct marketing in shadow of privacy concerns, legislation

摘要

Marketers and industry experts at the Donnelley Group's Fifth Annual Information Privacy Forum last month in Aspen, Colo., addressed the spate of high-profile security breaches and identity theft incidents in recent months. Several speakers voiced concern that federal legislators would over-react to recent events and enact legislation—beyond the 2-year-old National Do Not Call Registry and CAN-SPAM Act— that could hobble b-to-b direct mar- keters in the future. Jerry Cerasale, senior VP-govern-ment affairs at the Direct Marketing Association, said at least six congressional committees were now looking into database marketing and data security. He predicted Congress would enact laws for how customers are notified about data breaches. "Legislation may not happen this session. But for sure in 2006, they'll set a national standard," he said.