We're used to putting our stuff on the net, and then desperately rowing back; the European Commission's forthcoming data privacy principles are expected to allow us to wipe out embarrassing or unwanted data from the past - an interesting idea.

Echoing previous statements, Leibowitz announced that the FTC would develop a set of privacy principles for behavioral marketing, and said he was "hopeful that [the] industry responds with concrete improvement."

Google states it has five privacy principles.

The FTC took no action against Acxiom, which had responded that it had followed its privacy principles and was not deceptive in its business practices.

"There are privacy principles being followed," Mr. Magaziner said.

"We worked with them to assure them we are capable of doing this and still protecting data privacy principles," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Friday in an interview.

The company first formalized a set of privacy principles in 1991, and in 1998 was one of the first large companies to post privacy policies on its Web site.

Australia's privacy principles, both IPPs and NPPs, depend upon the meaning of "personal information" (as defined in Privacy Act 1988 s6).

"It's a good way to bake in privacy principles."

(Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that affirmed the right to abortion, rests on the privacy principle.)