Slashdot: Ask Slashdot: Do We Need Opt-Out-By-Default Privacy Laws?

May 24, 2025

—

Source URL: https://ask.slashdot.org/story/25/05/24/0430214/ask-slashdot-do-we-need-opt-out-by-default-privacy-laws?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
Source: Slashdot
Title: Ask Slashdot: Do We Need Opt-Out-By-Default Privacy Laws?

Feedly Summary:

AI Summary and Description: Yes

Summary: The text raises significant concerns about corporate practices related to privacy rights and the lack of effective self-regulation in software and web interfaces. It advocates for new laws that would ensure privacy protections are the default standard for consumers, emphasizing the need for clearer communication regarding data rights during product usage.

Detailed Description: The excerpt discusses critical issues surrounding individual privacy in the context of software and web interactions. It highlights a pattern of companies neglecting to prioritize user privacy, often making it difficult for individuals to manage their privacy settings. The author calls for regulatory changes to protect privacy rights more effectively. Key points include:

– **Corporate Self-Regulation Failure**: Many companies have not respected the right to privacy, indicating a breach of user trust.
– **Obscured Privacy Settings**: Privacy options are often buried within software and web interfaces, making them hard to access or manage, which can lead to unauthorized data retention.
– **Need for Default Privacy Laws**: The author suggests that laws should require companies to default to user privacy, and users should have to actively opt out if they choose to relinquish their privacy rights.
– **Transparency in Data Usage**: Calls for clear communication regarding the rights users would need to give up before using a product, including a brief and comprehensible summary of data handling practices.
– **User Contracts and Functionality**: Questions why products may stop functioning if new user agreements are not accepted, indicating a potential lack of fairness in user agreements versus consumer rights.

This analysis has implications for security and compliance professionals, as it highlights the critical need for both legal and operational frameworks that prioritize user privacy by default, ensuring that organizations maintain compliance with emerging privacy regulations and uphold consumer trust.

1 2 24 3 4 5 a access Act actions AI air analysis and as AWS breach by C CERN CleaR co communication companies compliance compliance professionals concerns consumer consumer rights consumer trust Context contract contracts critical D data Data Handling data handling practices data retention Data Rights data usage de DoT dual e effective emerging ERP face fail fairness fault for framework frameworks function functionality g gs H high Highlight http HTTPS implications implications for security in inter interaction interactions interface Interfaces io issue k Key l law led Legal Li Link M making man N no non o of on operation operational frameworks opt opt-out options organization organizations ory oS out point potential pre privacy privacy law privacy laws privacy protection privacy protections privacy regulation privacy regulations privacy rights privacy settings product products professionals protection Q question R Raise rate RCE red Regulation regulations regulatory regulatory change regulatory changes Retention right Ro RoT Rust s sec security security and compliance self settings Sig software source SSE T text the to Tor TP transparency trust UI up US usage use user user agreements user privacy user trust Users uth V Ware web web interaction web interface Wi x