More To Privacy Issues
I also do not think most privacy laws go far enough to even slow down the problem with privacy on the Internet. Personally I think of privacy as something that should be in the US Bill of Rights, as it is now more important than the right to have weapons. Also having a company remove the information from their records still does nothing to deal with the data the criminals have copied and I am sure not deleting no matter what the laws become.
Furthermore, I do not believe it is right for companies to ever share personal information on our behalf unless we very explicitly say so in a print letter that we initiate. I also think the US should sign on to an international treaty of privacy rights and make sure every country agrees so that people don't just move the data to other countries, as this is not just a regional or national issue.
Also our entire phone system and mail system is filled with junk and we are constantly hounded by advertisers trying to barrage us with their products non-stop. This is not respectable and needs to be done in reasonable methods and on a reasonable scale. Basically ad companies are using their ads as malware to force and trick people into sending their money to them via scams or near scams. This is why small companies have no chance on the Internet anymore.
Seeing Deeper Problems
I also wonder what legitimate uses there actually are for this personal information because no one has explained a use for it that is valuable enough to be worth the cost to the consumer. I very much can see how it would be useful for criminal purposes like stalking, voyeur, blackmailing, intimidation, protection money, ransoms, hiding identities, stealing, fraud, and scams of all kinds.
We also need some more accountability that the government will not help criminals by pursuing ridiculous, ineffective, and deadly policies like outlawing encryption and working with criminal hackers to break into security systems of their citizens and snooping in on citizens with no warrants or even probable cause. This also needs to be an international effort as someone can easily find ways around these kinds of laws when their are no international treaties.
And the general security issues need to be adressed in America as well. We need to either find a permanent solution to get a handle on security so much that things are secure by default no matter how much that costs. Maybe we need to reengineer computers from punch cards on and trust no one and verify and document every step. If we are unwilling or unable to do so, we need to unravel any and all dependencies we have on computers and the Internet. Otherwise this will unravel our entire world civilization. Look how much damage a flu can cause.
Moral Crisis
We also need to go beyond laws so that we can work at this at both ends. We need to promote better behavior when it comes to computers. One way would be to get Hollywood to stop glamorizing violence, criminal behavior, prisons, torture, spy work, and the cops and the FBI.
We also need to change what we teach in business schools to better prepare future business leaders to conform to traditional ethics with regards to conducting business. This would be to stop things like usury, not making an investment bank a commercial bank, and getting rid of our central banking system.
We need to return to the idea that we can make an honest living by providing useful products and services. Not everyone has the right to own their own business at any cost. You are not guaranteed you will make the same amount of money now as you did in the past. You have to invest in a company to make money which you save up before hand, not expect a government hand out.
Business needs are not more important than workers rights. We need business leaders to accept that their desire for profits does not mean they will always succeed. This is called magical thinking. Our bosses need less confidence and more work ethic.