By Nick Patience
While international data privacy is playing on the minds of the internet industry, legislators and the governments alike, there is still confusion over data protection and the transfer of personal information within the 50 states of the US. The fundamental problem of defining jurisdictions when questions of privacy intrusion, taxation or other issues arise, will have to be resolved soon if the internet is going to continue to grow at its current explosive rate.
The International Chamber of Commerce is holding a meeting this week in California with a view to establishing a committee later this month, with a launch proposed for April 30 in Paris. The chair of the committee will be Scott Blackmer, a lawyer with the Washington DC firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering and a privacy expert. There is also a meeting today in Los Angeles of the American Bar Association on jurisdiction and e-commerce issues. When that many lawyers gather in one place, legislation cannot be far behind.
