CHARTER OF THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION Official Designation The Federal Trade Commission Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security Scope and Objectives The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to provide advice and recommendations to the Commission regarding implementation of certain fair information practices by domestic commercial Web sites - specifically, providing online consumers reasonable access to personal information collected from and about them and maintaining adequate security for that information. The Advisory Committee will consider the parameters of reasonable access to personal information and adequate security and will present options for implementation of these information practices in a report to the Commission. The Advisory Committee will consider, among other things, whether the extent of access provided by Web sites should vary with the sensitivity of the personal information collected and/or the purpose for which such information is collected; whether the difficulty and cost of retrieving consumers' data should be considered; whether consumers should be provided access to enhancements to the personal information obtained directly from them, such as inferences about their preferences and information about them derived from other databases; appropriate and feasible methods for verifying the identity of individuals seeking access; whether a reasonable fee should be assessed for access, and if so, what a reasonable fee would be; and whether limits should be placed on the frequency of requests for access, and if so, what those limits should be. The Advisory Committee will also consider how to define the standards by which the adequacy of measures taken by Web sites to protect the security of personal information collected online may be judged; what might constitute reasonable steps to assure the integrity of this information; and what managerial and technical measures should be undertaken to protect this information from unauthorized use or disclosure. Duration The Advisory Committee will conduct its work from February 4, 2000 through May 31, 2000. Reporting Relationship The Advisory Committee will report to the Designated Federal Officer, David Medine, Associate Director for Financial Practices, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission. Support The Federal Trade Commission will provide the necessary support services for the Advisory Committee, including a court reporter, transcripts of meetings, and photocopying. Duties The duties of the Advisory Committee will be solely advisory. The Advisory Committee will provide advice and recommendations in the form of a written report to the Commission describing options for implementing reasonable access to, and adequate security for, personal information collected online, and the costs and benefits of each option, by May 15, 2000. Costs The operating cost of supporting the Committee's functions is estimated to be $138,000. Members of the Advisory Committee will not be compensated, and must bear the cost of their own travel-related expenses. It is estimated that 1.5 FTE will be required to support the Committee. Meetings It is anticipated that the Advisory Committee will meet four times. Subgroups of the Advisory Committee will likely meet more frequently. Date of Termination The Committee will terminate on May 31, 2000. Charter Filing Date January 5, 2000. By direction of the Commission. Donald S. Clark |
