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|Posted by Lilly on October 29, 2014 at 7:25 AM
|comments (5)
If there's one draw to the business of Italian Ice, it's the fast, somewhat easy cash you can make day to day. But if you think you're the only one drawn to that, think again.
On more than a few occasions, I've felt that I needed to be on high alert as to my surroundings when selling Italian Ice. But truthfully, I have continued to sell without much regard for my safety, not to mention that of my teen daughter who also sometimes sells with me. However, the issue of prevention and protection came front and center the other day when I sold at a large Walk-Your-Dog-for-Cancer type event. It was business as usual, until the end of the day. Since I always seem to get the straggler sales, I opted to stick around a little longer to make a few more bucks instead of taking down my booth and leaving with all the other vendors. It was at this time that a customer came up to buy ice. As I was serving, he was eyeballing my operation, and as he began to walk away, he asked how I did that day. I have certainly had folks consider getting into the Italian Ice business, and I can usually tell those types when they ask simple questions like how I keep the ice frozen. But I this guy's eyes wandered onto the apron around my waist, my money bag. That unsettled me. I very suddenly felt that this guy's intentions could turn in a different direction. Luckily he was with a female companion, and she started to walk away, so he went with her and that was that. But this encounter has lingered in my mind for a while, raising a lot of questions for next season.
For starters, I'm a woman. Secondly, I often sell alone. Thirdly, a profitable event leaves a noticeable bulge in my apron! But really, regardless of whether the first two issues apply to you or not, the last one is the key exposure. You're carrying cash, and everyone knows it. Heck, the thieves hit up Italian Ice stores, for crying out loud! So, besides quitting this business (which isn't going to happen, I love it too much), what are my options for protection?
1. Sell only during day events.
This has a good probability of reducing my chances of getting muggged, but I don't like to lie to myself that it solves the entire problem. There's always a desperate criminal who sees me as an easy mark, day or night.
2. Get outta Dodge!
The "Safety in Numbers" rule applies here. Close down the booth when every other vendor starts to do it. Luckily my takedown is lightning fast, so I can get out before everyone else a lot of times, for which not sitting in a jammed parking lot alone is a great reason to bolt.
3. Get a dog.
Having a dog, preferably on the larger side, is always a deterrent to would-be thieves. Additionally, it might even be a draw for the kids, if it's cute! This is a win-win. A protective dog is a great asset to have guarding my back as I take down the booth, and a great companion for the rides home at night. Better yet, I could keep the money belt ON the dog! Luckily so far, nearly every event would allow me to have a dog present too. So, looks like I'll be hitting up the pet adoptions!
4. Get a gun.
This one sounds extreme, and may be, but it's still a viable option, and not near as hard to do as it seems. In fact, in the majority of states, it's easier to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon than it is to get approved from a Health Department to sell mobile food! To learn a little bit more, read this Wikipedia article. The only issue here is what a trained gun carrier told me... only take it out to actually use it, never to just warn. And that's a little scary to me.
5. Keep a bullhorn at hand.
Okay, you should know by now that I don't think like most folks, so this idea actually is plausible to me. Thinking about a home and how we protect it, there are lessons to learn. A home alarm system serves really only one purpose, and that is to SCARE OFF THE BURGLARS & ROBBERS. So the same principle applies. If I'm alone and about to be mugged, an exceptionally loud noise will hopefully scare off the criminal, but more importantly, it will draw attention from anyone nearby. And for only $20 for one with a siren, it's worth it!
6. HIre security.
While this is more a joke idea, maybe it's a way to go. Bring on a tough friend who has nothing to do that day and would love to be paid with Italian Ice. Let him sit in your booth all day. On a similar note, I tend to get into conversations with lots of my customers, and I think that helps too. And when I get offers of help from other vendors to take down, I now take them up on it, for the company. I have had up to seven people (customers, friends, kids, kids' friends, even politicians!) in my booth just chatting with me and each other at the end of events. While fun, it allows me to leave in safety. Lastly, I make friends with my local police. They are often at the events where I sell. I need to get clever and offer all cops free ice at the end of the gig!
7. When needed... LIE.
If I get a snoopy customer asking obvious questions like "Is this your business?", "Do you run it alone?" or "Do you need any help with your tent?", I have now opted to lie. Yep, I simply tell them my partner or friend is coming back to help me, or went to get the car, or I'm waiting for my crew to come back. Anything that makes them think twice and leave.
8. Use your bank's drop box.
While you still have to close down your setup and get out of the event safely, one way to make yourself less of a target on your way home is to use your bank's drop box. if you have a business account, you can ask for those plastic bags bank use for after-hours drop offs and dump your cash right after each event.
Which leads to...
9. Never drive home directly.
if a would-be thief thinks he can't get to you at an event, he may consider his next best option, which is to follow the money... meaning you on your way home. Think it can't happen? Read this story!
I'm still grappling with all of this, and may come up with some other useful ideas. But I bet you've thought of it too or encountered a similar situation. I want to hear what you think. Share your ideas in the comments!
|Posted by Lilly on July 28, 2014 at 2:40 PM
|comments (8)
Allen High School's opening 2012 football game in the new Eagle Stadium, TX
High school... we've all been there. For all its experiences and offerings, very little compares to the crazed emphasis from students and parents alike on high school sports. An article from CNBC, titled High School Sports Have Turned Into Big Business, mentions that "the market in high school sports keeps expanding," and "the dedication to high school sports from all sides is endless." Why? We love competition, we love sports, and frankly anyone can hit up a local Friday night football game, for the cheap cost of a ticket and short drive.
So how can you get a piece of the action? It's easy, and now is the time to get started. As the summer winds down, and we head into August, all things High School will be getting into gear. If you can secure your Italian Ice business's spot at local sporting events now, you can end your selling season off with a big bang! Let me show you how to get your foot in the door of your local school.
First off, visit the site HighSchools.com to quickly generate a list of all the schools around you. Find the search button in the upper right, enter your county name, and then click on the little round radio button named "Counties". This will give you the largest number of schools you can contact. Most likely your Health Department gave you a license to sell within your county, therefore, get all the names of high schools within the same county that you can sell in. Here is what that list will look like (I used Bucks County, PA next door to me, as an example).
Now we refine our list. I opened up Excel to add high schools to my ongoing marketing list, but you can use a paper and pencil, too. First I noted those cities I'm familiar with and are right around me. Those schools went onto my list. For towns I wasn't familiar with, I used Google Maps to find out how far away they were. If they were less than 25 minutes driving, they went on my list. Use whatever driving distance makes sense for you. If you need more business, logically, you'll be willing to travel. Lastly, I narrowed down my list based on number of students attending the schools. Clearly, it's safe to assume those schools with fewer students will have lower attendance at their athletic events.
Next, I clicked on the links of the schools and jotted down their addresses, phone numbers and webpages. Some required a little more digging on Google when no website was listed. All schools these days have websites - it's the primary mode of parent communication, and sure enough, I found them.
What I'm looking for on each of the websites for these schools will be their athletic page, in particular the name of their Athletic Director. That name also goes on my list. While some schools use Parent/Teacher or Home & School groups to fundraise, I want to send my letter directly to the Athletic Directors, for good reason. The parents who head those other groups come and go from year to year, and I'd rather not have to keep track of that constantly changing information when I send out any new promos. Believe me, I've tried! My letter will be a juicy one, detailing how Such-and-Such School can earn back 20% of sales (I really offer 30%, but that's just crazy me) toward new sporting equipment or other efforts, to be used however the Athletic Director sees fit. Oooh, Power! New Equipment. And I stress, all this free money comes to you with absolutely no effort on your part! Who wants more work, right? So I make an offer that's too easy to pass up... I show, I sell, I write you a check!
If the Athletic Director is not the one who handles such matters, I would bet my pants that he or she will pass the information to the right person or group, in order to start getting that free money for their athletic program. I'll make sure to also add that other schools are already booking their dates with my company, and there are only a limited number of game dates/slots available due to cooling autumn weather. Should I run into the wonderful problem of multiple schools being interested, well, then heck! I'll just have to duplicate my booth as quickly as possible (1 month is enough time to order everything and get new banners), and hire some high school students to sell at their school's games (free attendance for them!), while I'm selling at another.
When I send the school its profit sharing check later in the season, I'll be sure to include the tickler that big spring events such as baseball tournaments, track invitationals and other multi-school competitions are excellent for generating larger profit sharing checks - he or she should be sure to call me again. Those of you Italian Ice vendors who live in warm weather places, us season-limited vendors, frankly don't want to hear how well you make out with this program during the "winter" months.
While I'm at it, if all goes according to plan, I'm toying with the idea of having inexpensive school logo'd fun items to sell at the sporting events alongside the ice. It's one thing I see missing from these games, but one I know students love to buy, like mini-footballs, koozies, hackie sacks and especially noisemakers!
Okay, that's the gameplan! Who's with me?!
|Posted by Lilly on July 1, 2014 at 10:05 AM
|comments (9)
When I created this site in March of 2012, I never dreamed that in its third year of life, it would be such an amazing community! (cue the speech music) You folks who make up Icy Profits are the coolest Italian Ice vendors ever. You listen and help each other, you welcome each other with open arms, you give advice, encouragement and even words of caution freely. You are AWESOME!
On that note, I wanted to share with you that as of late last night, Icy Profits gained it's 200th member! And here's something interesting I noted as I watched the numbers climb. It took 1.5 years to reach the first 100 members. That only happened early January of this year. But, it took us only 6 months to get the second hundred! That means we are gaining traction fast and hitting the big time.
Further proof of our growth is that when folks search Italian Ice Cart, Italian Ice Business and other related terms, Icy Profits is on the front page of Google! We started on the 7th page! I haven't spent, not one cent, on fake SEO gimmicks to bring our site to the first page. It was all done by authentic writing and natural, slow growth. I can't thank you guys enough.
Your take on this news may be different than mine. Certainly I am ecstatic. But you may be more wary as we bring on more new members. Just remember, we were all at the starting line once in our lives too. This site pays it forward. And I am one proud mama! Thank you guys!!!
(numbers around the site show only 195, but when a member doesn't complete their profile info, it doesn't update the public numbers. As admin, I see the real count. Yahoo!)
|Posted by Lilly on June 30, 2014 at 8:25 AM
|comments (7)
One year ago, I wrote a blog post about the Awesomest Hand Sink for selling Italian Ice, which I was having custom crafted to finally become compliant with my Health Department's hand sink rule. What I completely forgot to do was update you guys and show you the photos of the sink and how perfect it is for those vendors looking for NSF equipment who want a portable sink that doesn't need electricity. This is a one-of-a-kind!
It's the ONLY existing hand sink made to use with the Coleman Hot H2O On Demand that is ready to go! It's the quickest option for those needing only a hand sink, who don't want to build their own or don't want to be dependent on electricity. While it's not cheap, being all steel, it's the answer for those Health Departments who mandate NSF equipment. And the price is right in line with other stainless steel sinks sold on the market - all much larger, heavier and electricity-dependent.
Now, for the reveal! Here are the photos of my sink! For me, it was the long-lost piece in a puzzle I'd been working on for a year and half... and an answer to my prayers. Give me your thoughts in the comments!
|Posted by Lilly on June 23, 2014 at 11:05 AM
|comments (3)
Over time, every Italian Ice vendor will come up against circumstances that teach them how to become better and more experienced. But so many of these lessons are learned only after the fact, when things have already gone south, for whatever reason.
Sure enough, as probably many of you have also done, I jumped into every event I could find when I first started selling. I said yes to everything because I needed the exposure and the scooping practice. I needed to learn which flavors were favorites and how fast ice would melt "in the field". I needed to guage customer reactions to my prices and my serving sizes. And I needed to learn how to put that &!@$# tent up by myself and how to shave hours off my setup time! But after a number of these events, I returned home to count the cash and found out, a little too late, that it wasn't near the income I expected. Why? Well, it didn't occur to me to ask a few key questions in advance. Like, how long is the event? What time does it start? An 8:00am start is not conducive to Italian Ice sales, unless you live in Arizona! If sales won't pick up until 11:00am, you better determine what equipment to bring that will keep your ice frozen for all those dead hours.
Will there be light at a nighttime event or should you bring your own? This lesson I learned quickly after one of my first events started at 5:00pm, but ended at 10:00pm. I didn't even think to bring lighting for my booth! Try scooping and finding the right dollars for change in the dark! The night ended with my local firefighters, who were luckily part of the event, using their halogen lights atop their extended ladder pointed at my booth. Blinding! But also very helpful... and more than a little embarrassing.
Outside of the now obvious questions such as start and end time of the event, I've learned there are some other rather important questions you need to ask your event organizer when they first call you up or you reach out to them about inclusion at their gigs.
1. How many attendees are expected based on previous years' headcounts?
You need to know how much ice to bring and how much to expect to earn.
2. Is there electric (if you need it)?
3. Any other frozen dessert vendors? If so, will you be close to each other? Competition can hamper sales and this needs to be taken into account when facing an event fee. Is it worth it?
4. Can you leave early if you sell out? Not a common question, but I got this from an ice cream vendor who told me to prepare for being stuck at a certain event if I sold out, because the organizers didn't want any vehicle traffic where there were pedestrians, for safety, until the end of the event. He had to spend a few hours doing nothing.
5. How much is the event fee or profit share percentage?
6. What happens in event of rain? Do they cancel or have a raindate? This is important, as the raindate may interfere with another event you've booked. Or worse, you'll be committed to selling in the rain. How will you handle that situation if (or rather, when) it occurs?
7. What if weather affects sales - can flat fee be reduced? If possible, you have to minimize risk when paying a flat fee for an event. Negotiate this one. The risk disappears with profit sharing.
8.. Is there a refund in case event is cancelled by organizers, under what circumstances? Make sure everyone is on same page when it comes to fees.
9. Do you require proof of insurance and to be listed as additional insured?
10. Who is the contact (and what is cell #) for day of event, in case of unforeseen issues/emergencies?
I still consider myself a newbie Italian Ice vendor. So, I have yet to come across all the questions to ask and lessons to learn. The ones above are some of the basics, but I'm sure there are more. How about you? All you experienced vendors, what other questions would you add to this list?
|Posted by Lilly on June 16, 2014 at 7:55 AM
|comments (4)
In my second full year of selling italian Ice, I am finding there's no shortage of learning when it comes to becoming more efficient. Recently, I faced a frustrating inventory issue that was driving me crazy. After every event, I would repeatedly return with half tubs of Italian ice. Half tubs stink!
For starters, there's nothing nicer than starting out a selling session with beautiful, untouched full tubs of Italian Ice. It's a great presentation. But starting your day with half tubs, especially if customers can peek inside your cooler or cart, looks like... well... leftovers. And essentially they are. But to the vendor, they are still income. Next gripe, they make a mess of your freezer organization and inventory management. You end up with a mix of full tubs and half tubs. And when stacked on top of each other inside a chest freezer, you then have ongoing, back-breaking sessions of lifting tubs off each other to see what you have to get rid of at your next event. And lastly, at that upcoming next event, you now have to take both those hated half tubs plus full tubs as backup, since, of course, you will empty those half tubs very quickly.
Here's where I'd get snagged in the past. I used to take my most
popular flavors, and also take backup of those flavors. I figured, when
I sold out of the favorite flavors, I could just refill those flavors
from backup tubs, keep my menu board full and pretty, and keep my
customers happy with choices. Well, it quickly backfired on me, having
to later lug half empty tubs back to the freezer.
Now for the lesson I learned rather late. (For all you vendors much smarter than me, you can move on to the forums now, or go post some beautiful photos of your perfect operations in the gallery. This blog post is not for you.) At my last big event, I tried out a different scheme. I considered the number of hours the event would last. Knowing I can scoop about a tub per hour alone and two tubs if I have a helper, I decided to take only the number of full tubs I expected to sell, plus two for backup, in case we did well.
During that event, I implemented tried-and-true psychological marketing, which I share with you now! The SOLD OUT trick! When I sold out of a favorite flavor, I did not restock it. Instead I removed the flavor from the menu, announced that we sold out of that flavor and only had the listed flavors remaining. It's amazing what happened next! The line grew! People freaked out! The Scarcity Principle kicked into high gear. They moved on to their second favorite flavor. I never even considered that people were so flexible with Italian Ice. Turns out they love more than one flavor, and I could steer them like a school of fish in whichever direction the flavor current moved! When mango sold out, they switched to Captain America (red, white and blue). When The Captain sailed, they moved to cherry. When cherry went and there were only scrapings of lemon, they took that too! And when I brought out backstock of blueberry, rock solid and couldn't even be scooped, they demanded it! It didn't matter if I took the flavor off the board - the customers could still see it in my cooler and that it was a full tub of Italian Ice. They wanted it like vultures want roadkill. And still my line grew.
By the time the event was ending and fireworks starting, my line was huge, and we just scooped blueberry, cup after endless cup. I yelled out that all we had was blueberry, hoping to thin the line, but nothing changed. I then yelled out that the frozen yogurt vendor had slashed prices in half, and we lost a few customers. But then they returned! It turned out the froyo was one small scoop of vanilla only at $2.00, down from $4.00 - not near the bargain we offered at a very full cup of refreshing blueberry Italian Ice for $3. To end the story, we sold out of eight tubs of Italian Ice in 3.5 hours.
Not a single half tub went home. Can I get an AMEN?!
|Posted by Lilly on March 19, 2014 at 11:30 AM
|comments (0)
Every year, Rita's Italian Ice, the nation's (world's?) largest Italian Ice franchise, offers a free regular size Italian Ice on the first day of Spring. That's tomorrow, March 20th. No coupon needed, just show up!
Considering Rita's has launched a national campaign, called the Great State Race, to determine in which areas to open new stores, you can be sure the competition will be heating up when it comes to small town Italian Ice vendors. Big Rita VS. the Little Guy! It's on! Get out tomorrow and claim your free taste of your competitor's product. It's what you're up against! And with that in mind, you can decide to copy their product or break out in a new, better direction! Then come back here to post your thoughts about their product, and the flavor or flavors you tried, in the comment section.
(Feel free to visit multiple locations to try out more than one flavor. ;))
|Posted by Lilly on August 8, 2013 at 12:05 AM
|comments (0)
My last blog post recommended that vendors find and attend their local National Night Out event as a wonderful community involvement opportunity. Who knew that, for me, it would be my biggest gig yet! It was a huge success!
The photo above is an actual shot taken last night from my booth. For a solid two hours, this was the scene I saw every time I looked up to check my line. And it was a very unexpected, happy surprise. There's probably another entire blog post of the uncertainties of this business that I could write about. But I'll share a few of those now. This was supposed to be a small event, a name-builder of sorts, to get my business out there. I had been asked to sell at a lower price, and I did so using smaller cup sizes. Price could have been a factor, but this year, the event organizers added a car show and many more neighbors came out. And how could I predict that on a night forecasted for rain, we would have one of the most beautiful evenings of the entire summer? So, of course, Murphy's law kicked in, and I told my helper (daughter) she could stay at the shore rather than come home to sell Italain Ice with me. I could handle it, I told her. Well, folks...
Here are the highlights of my evening.
Like I said... Oh, what a night!
|Posted by Lilly on July 20, 2013 at 12:55 AM
|comments (0)
If you're looking for a great place to sell Italian Ice in just a few short weeks, consider participating in National Night Out in your community. As the name implies, this is a nationwide event tyically starting around 6:00pm and going on for a few hours. This one-night community event is a perfect opportunity for an Italian Ice business to showcase community involvement and a delicious, cold treat.
What is National Night Out?
From the National Association of Town Watch (NATW):
The introduction of National Night Out, "America's Night Out Against Crime", in 1984 began an effort to promote involvement in crime prevention activities, police-community partnerships, neighborhood camaraderie and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. NATW's National Night Out program culminates annually, on the first Tuesday of August (In Texas, the first Tuesday of October).
National Night Out now involves over 37 million people and 15,000 communities from all fifty states, U.S. Territories, Canadian cities, and military bases worldwide.
The traditional "lights on" campaign and symbolic front porch vigils turned into a celebration across America with various events and activities including, but not limited to, block parties, cookouts, parades, visits from emergency personnel, rallies and marches, exhibits, youth events, safety demonstrations and seminars, in effort to heighten awareness and enhance community relations.
Why Participate?
Is a Community Near You Participating?
To find out whether a community near you is holding an event, visit the National Association of Town Watch's Map page. You can view or download a list of participating areas. For those vendors who have multiple carts, I would suggest you consider sending out additional carts to other communities. Share the love!
You better believe I'll be at the event in my neighborhood! Getting in with your community is something a business can't afford not to do. Getting in with the police officers who patrol those communities is even better for those of us operating cash businesses looking for a partner who's "got your back". Get to know your local police force! It's a smart move for any vendor... as a single woman running my business, the support and protection I have from my local police department is something I could never buy nor repay. And for the cops hosting that night's event, the ice is on me!
|Posted by Lilly on June 26, 2013 at 8:35 AM
|comments (6)
Selling Italian Ice from a cart is the first aspect Italian Ice vendors consider. You need to find the right cart for you, the right ice, of course, an umbrella or tent, and the dishers (scoops). In the beginning, we are so focused on instant selling that it can be easy to overlook future needs. For instance, when I started out, I was certain I'd only sell at any gig for a maximum of 2 to 4 hours. I wanted it this way for a few lifestyle reasons. And frankly, I thought I'd go berserk sitting in a booth selling Italian Ice for any longer.
Well, I have two official gigs under my belt now, both of which I'd chosen to participate for no more than four hours. But, instead, for the first one I opted to stay an extra hour because my daughter and I were having so much fun! We would have stayed longer, but the softball tournament ended, at which time all the food vendors were offered beer to celebrate. See? Fun! And I don't drink! The second gig was scheduled for the same amount of time, but we stayed for seven hours!! Yes, seven, out of sheer enjoyment and because sales suddenly picked up dramatically around 5:00pm, more so even than the run of customers we expected would hit our booth between 12:00pm and 2:00pm. Seems around Pennsylvania, Italian Ice (a.k.a. Water Ice) is a late-afternoon treat, which makes for an upcoming change in scheduling for me.
But one important lesson learned was the need for back up Italian Ice around the booth for when we sold out of a flavor, or when one flavor began melting too fast. The latter was a nasty surprise that I have yet to figure out how to handle. What didn't melt, however, was the stored Italian Ice I had under our setup tables in different coolers.
Let me show you what worked like a charm!
I have two, 5-day Igloo coolers. Specifically, they are 5-day, 70 quart, marine coolers, purchased locally at Kmart last year for about $50 each. These coolers have much thicker walls than typical coolers, which means better insulation. And I found out that their touted "will keep ice frozen for 5 days!" claim was right on! Of course, they mean regular ice, as in cubes, and not Italian Ice which requires even colder temperature to stay frozen, but who knows! I haven't tested it out. But during my selling events, I placed two tubs of Italian Ice inside each of my coolers, providing me with four backup tubs of ice. Some were new flavors (to keep things interesting to customers), and some were intended to restock the best-selling mango and lemon.
Now, the Italian Ice in the coolers may have done well alone, but I didn't take any chances, being a new vendor. So I decided to place a reuseable cold pack in each cooler, too. I was amazed to discover that the reuseable cold packs fit absolutely perfectly inside the cooler, as though the two had been crafted for each other.
And the best part? Picture me holding my breath when I was first trying this out... the lid also closed completely and perfectly. I got a snug, airtight seal. And I am happy to inform you, fellow vendors, that both sizes of reuseable cold packs by Nelson Manufacturing fit inside the cooler! Note to you all: I deliberately placed my reuseable cold packs on top of the Italian Ice. I think our first choice may be to place them on the bottom of the coolers or perhaps standing up on the sides. But, here's an important tip. We all know hot air rises, right? Well, cold air drops. So to keep the Italian Ice cold, placing the cold packs on top means that their coldness will drop down to the lowest level, where the tubs of ice are. This is science applied! Keep it in mind.
Now, for their performance! At my second gig, the seven hour one, I ran out of a few flavors, with a line of customers, right around the 6th hour of selling. At this point, I had to stop operations and get out my backstock. Again I held my breath as I opened the lids on the Italian tubs to see whether or not they had stood up to the amount of time in the coolers. Folks, let me tell you... I faced one happy, but anxiety-ridden, awkward moment as I learned that the ice was rock solid! They had kept cold so well for seven hours, that when I needed them, they were actually too cold to scoop. How awesome is that?! I had to face my customers and tell them the problem. And it was remedied shortly after by simply leaving the tops off the new tubs and letting them sit, exposed, for about eight agonizing minutes. They were still difficult to scoop at this point, but were somewhat workable.
Finally, to counter my own "cold air drops" reasoning for placing the cold packs on top of the Italian Ice tubs, I have to say, I may try placing the cold packs on the bottom the next time I'm out selling. I have a new theory that maybe this way, the bottom of the Italian Ice will stay hard, but the top portion, where we scoop first, may be less solid. What do you think?
So, there you go. Trust these coolers! Slap in those cold packs, and plan to get your backstock out about 15 minutes before you actually need to scoop them, and you'll be right as rain!
How about you? What do you do to keep backstock at events for long periods of time that has worked for you? Click on the comment link above, and share your knowledge.


text:
Guidelines Commentary
with the Comments of the Online Privacy Alliance
the Draft International Safe Harbor Principles
19, 1998
to the Mission Statement and Guidelines
1. This
commentary is intended to serve as an introduction to the Alliances
Mission Statement and Guidelines as well and to serve as an interpretive
tool, which will assist Alliance Members and others to establish
and refine on-line privacy programs internally and in working with
third parties to develop enforcement programs. This document attempts
to reflect the thoughts of the drafters of the Guidelines, their
areas of disagreement, and the compromises they have reached in
their final product.
2. Both the
United States and Europe have long traditions of protecting individual
privacy, and histories of debating on how best to protect individual
liberties and private lives from intrusion. The European tradition
follows the path of more reliance on government and complex codes
and laws, many of which are to American eyes legally vague, overbroad,
and be the potential source of significant legal exposure. The American
tradition of protecting individual rights, including privacy, is
to rely on the creation of private remedies, to engage the Members
of the business community as citizens, to codify the developments
of best practices in industry codes, and only in the event of concrete
experienced harm, to legislate and then to legislate with
focused specificity. In this new electronic realm, where traditional
jurisdictional borders cease to exist, the Alliance believes that
the American practice may serve as an acceptable model for the development
of privacy practices for businesses around the globe, and offer
their efforts for emulation by business globally.
3. The "Membership"
of the Alliance is drawn from a wide diversity of business sectors.
Each sector has unique personal information requirements, management
processes, and customer bases. / Thus each Member has a set
of unique opportunities to develop privacy practices and self-regulatory
support and enforcement mechanisms that will respond most effectively
to the concerns of the individuals with whom it deals. As a consequence
of this diversity, the Guidelines often appear to speak in broad
generalities; however, the intent of the Members was not to "generalize
away" the protections that they intended to create or the privacy
practices they are committed to instituting on-line. To the contrary,
it is the occasional "generality" of certain of the provisions
of the Guidelines that permits each company to fashion policies
that protect privacy and empower consumers. This commentary is offered
as a tool for assisting in the implementation of these efforts,
so that results are consistent with the Guidelines intent.
4. It also is
acknowledged, and indeed even embraced, that the Guidelines are
a work in process, and they reflect business responding to the perceived
need for greater trust in the on-line and electronic commerce arena.
Technological change is proceeding at such a pace that inflexible
Guidelines would risk being obsolete before being put into practice.
New technologies create new benefits for both business and consumers,
and new risks. New technological tools may swiftly appear that must
be taken into account in the development of different privacy practices.
The challenge and the process are acknowledged in the Guidelines,
and infuse their language.
5. The Mission
statement sets the scope of work of the Alliance and focuses attention
on the core of the Alliance principles and the expected responses
and general obligations of its Members. The purpose is to create
an environment of trust and to foster the protection of individuals
privacy on-line and in electronic commerce. The discrete focus is
on commerce on-line, and this Mission does not cover corporate intranets
or any off-line transactions regarding personal information.
6. Critically,
the Alliance supports self-regulation, built on existing law and
regulation. This approach reflects the American tradition of business
responding to the publics needs with a flexibility and speed
that normal democratic governmental institutions cannot be expected
to display. This comment is not intended as a criticism of these
institutions, but an acknowledgment that the democratic process
of law and regulation creation in the United States properly and
necessarily is a time-consuming process. And the process often results
in legislation establishing enforcement and regulatory devices that
are static and cannot be synchronized with technology, business
practices, and citizen expectations.
7. Electronic
commerce is developing at such a rate that any legislative attempt
at consumer privacy protection may be made irrelevant or confusing
by new technology. The Mission statement therefore implicitly acknowledges
the acceptance by its Members of the responsibility to create tools
that will protect consumer privacy through the creation of new self-regulatory
structures and principles, including enforcement mechanisms, and
new empowerment technologies.
8. At the same
time, the critical role of government is acknowledged in its call
for Members to support compliance with and strong enforcement of
applicable laws and regulations. Although not specifically referenced,
this clause is intended to refer to the powers of the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) and those of the State Attorneys General under
their respective consumer protection acts, to prosecute unfair or
deceptive business practices and misleading advertising. A business
that affirms it has a privacy policy or program and holds itself
out to the public as operating in conformity therewith has assumed
a serious commitment and is legally exposed if it does not honor
the policy. In short, effective self-regulatory efforts rely heavily
on the enforcement of existing law. The U.S. Congress has recognized
the need for robust enforcement of law and last year increased the
FTCs Consumer Protection enforcement funding by almost 40%.
9. No self-regulatory
program involving protection of the public can work without public
awareness of its existence and articulation of the expectations
of the other interested parties in the process. The Mission statement
specifically acknowledges this need. The Alliance will promote broad
awareness of and participation in Alliance initiatives by businesses,
nonprofits, policy makers and consumers; the next Mission statement
reinforces this by calling for affirmatively seeking input into
and support for its initiatives from all interested parties committed
to privacy protection.
10. Finally,
it should be noted that the Mission statement specifically identifies
and comments on the need and obligation to protect our children.
No other participants in the electronic commerce world are specifically
referred to, and this reflects the concern the Alliance Members
have for children. It is expected that on-line businesses dealing
with children and their personal information must take into account
their unique situation and foster unique practices and policies
to protect a group that is not old enough to protect itself.
11. The Pledge
needs no particular explanation it is clear and concise.
It calls for implementation by each Member of privacy policies,
which are expected to be individualized to the Members particular
industry and business process, and place the Guidelines as the benchmark
against which they will be measured. Whether to establish deadlines
for such implementation was explicitly discussed. A consensus emerged
that implementation must be accomplished by each Member as quickly
as possible, within six months of joining the Alliance or by the
close of 1998. The founding Members have their signatures on the
Pledge, so to speak, and thus are now accountable to fulfill it.
12. Equally
important, the Pledge commits the Member to participation in effective
and "appropriate" self-regulatory enforcement activities
and mechanisms. The term "appropriate" underscores again
the fact that the Members may find different mechanisms to be appropriate
to the delivery of recourse and redress to their divergent customer
constituencies. But all will "participate," and this is
understood to be not only the agreement of the Members to abide
by the procedures and requirements of the self-regulatory mechanism
they select, but also to participate in the creation and operation
of that mechanism.
13. The preamble
to the Guidelines and the penultimate paragraph following Guideline
5 are important in setting forth an overall understanding of their
scope. They underscore that these are minimum targets. The base
target is reflected in that closing paragraph. They do not supersede
obligations imposed on the Member by law, regulation, or legal process,
such as a judicial judgment or a consent order. The Guidelines cover
personally identifiable information in the on-line or electronic
commerce environment, but not information that is proprietary, or
from publicly available or public record information.
14. The exceptions
for publicly available or public record information are inserted
to ensure that a Member does not incur liability or responsibility
for information whose accuracy depends on a third-party, frequently
a government agency. A business is entitled to rely on the accuracy
of that information as much as any other user of that information,
and it should not be required to take responsibility for it in place
of the public repository or other organization that provided it.
The exception for proprietary information is made because of concern
for the security of information that provides a competitive advantage
to the company. This would not normally include information provided
to a company by one of its customers, such as purchase history,
credit card information, or names and addresses of gift recipients
from the customer. Proprietary information would, in most cases,
depending on the companys business, include demographic and
psychographic overlays on the customers files based on records
from other sources. These are considered proprietary, since their
appearance and use would provide clues to the companys business
strategy. Providing access to such information would not increase
privacy protection.
15. Finally,
it should be noted that the preamble says that the Guidelines should
include "at least" the following elements, customized
and enhanced as appropriate to the business or industry sector concerned.
These Guidelines are not merely aspirational, they are minimums.
This is reinforced by the reference in the last paragraph to the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ("OECD")
Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of
Personal Data.
16. A comparison
of the Guidelines to the OECD Guidelines is beyond this Commentarys
scope, but the reference reflects that the OECD Guidelines were
a major influence on their development, and that Members are urged
to consider them in drawing their own policies. Explicitly, the
Guidelines urge Members to study the internationally accepted OECD
Guidelines in their privacy policy formulation and implementation.
As a convenience, the OECD Guidelines are annexed to this Commentary.
organization engaged in on-line activities or electronic commerce
has a responsibility to adopt and implement a policy for protecting
the privacy of individually identifiable information. Organizations
should also take steps that foster the adoption and implementation
of effective on-line privacy policies by the organizations with
which they interact; e.g., by sharing best practices with business
17. This Guideline reflects the belief that privacy and the protection of personally identifiable information is not only an individual responsibility, nor simply a corporate responsibility, but a business community responsibility. It reminds the community that business is a seamless web of relationships within which information flows; it must be protected at each step. The Guideline looks inward toward the Member company, and outward to its business partners, to create that protective community. Thus the organization engaged in on-line activities or electronic commerce acknowledges that it must adopt and implement a policy to protect individually identifiable information. The term "individually identifiable information" is defined by reference to the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) definition of "Personally Identifiable Data" in its March 30, 1998 Vocabulary Specification (See http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/WD-P3P10-harmonization-19980330).This is one of the main legs of an organization's commitment under the Alliance Pledge. The organization is also urged to encourage similar action by its business partners.
18. The amount
of corporate resource commitment inherent in the commitment to adopt
and implement a privacy policy cannot be overstated. These are expensive
and time-consuming exercises, often requiring significant corporate
reengineering. This helps explain why the commitment to foster adoption
of similar policies by business partners is not mandatory. Knowing
the size of the task they themselves were facing, Alliance Members
could not commit to do more than urge such adoption by their suppliers
and vendors and corporate customers. Subject to considerations arising
under the antitrust laws, it would, of course, be entirely within
the province of any company to declare as part of its privacy policy
that it would only conduct business with partners who had such policies.
This language does not exclude this possibility. Moreover, it would,
of course, be expected that any Alliance Member who entrusts personally
identifiable information to a third-party to perform a business
operation on its behalf would ensure by contract for the continuity
of its protection in that third-partys hands. The process
of demanding contractual language expressing these concepts should
expand the awareness of the principles inherent in these Guidelines,
and thus encourage their adoption by other companies.
organizations privacy policy must be easy to find, read
and understand. The policy must be available prior to or at
the time that individually identifiable information is collected
or requested.
policy must state clearly: what information is being collected;
the use of that information; possible third-party distribution
of that information; the choices available to an individual
regarding collection, use and distribution of the collected
information; a statement of the organizations commitment
to data security; and what steps the organization takes to ensure
data quality and access."
policy should disclose the consequences, if any, of an individuals
refusal to provide information. The policy should also include
a clear statement of what accountability mechanism the organization
uses, including how to contact the organization."
19. The intention
is that the Members privacy policy be easy to find on its
website, or other electronic commerce vehicle, such as the developing
interactive technologies. A policy is no good unless it is made
public in an understandable manner. And notice about what one will
do with information provides little privacy protection if the notice
is not given at least at the time the information is elicited.
This Guideline combines in a practical and easy-to-read synopsis
several elements of a number of OECD Guidelines, including the Openness
Principle, the Collection Limitation Principle, and the Purpose
and Use Limitation Principles. In many respects, given its level
of detail, Guideline 2 has elucidated in a progressive manner some
of the OECD Guidelines more general principles, applying them
to this new medium, without in any way disproving their continued
20. Two points
are worth noting in the first paragraph of Guideline 2. First, the
Guideline does not specify size of type, or location on a website,
or depth of detail or other fine points. Each Member shall have
to make these decisions on its own within the common-sense rule:
easy to find, read, and understand. Second, the on-line policy must
be available to be read before or simultaneously with any information
collection or request. Again, flexibility is retained to permit
each Member to experiment with the placement and timing of notices
of its policy, perhaps where information is to be typed in, perhaps
with a warning window when information is "submitted"
or gathered automatically. This language suggests that it is possible
that data may be collected without conscious submission by the individual.
This is permissible when and only when notice of the
policy is given either before or at the time data are captured.
Although somewhat surprising, this is not inconsistent with the
OECD Guidelines provided this is lawful and fair; the consent of
the individual being required only "where appropriate."
To the extent technology permits a Member to identify an individual
without specifically requesting him or her to enter data, such as
by automated identity determination, the Member will need to address
how to provide the necessary notice simultaneously.
21. The second
paragraph is explicit as to the contents of the policy, and includes
presumably the elements that must be provided in a notice of the
policy. These elements are intended to actualize the Purpose Specification
Principle of the OECD Guidelines. In many, if not most, cases, it
will be obvious what information is being collected, in others,
it will not be so clear (such as click-stream data or navigational
data), and a statement of the "not so obvious" will be
22. It is here
that the fact the Guidelines set a minimum beyond which any Member
is free to go in protecting privacy becomes most clear. For example,
possible third-party distribution of information must be
disclosed, and the available choices about the collection, use,
and disclosure of the information must be given. Here, although
mere mention of possible third-party distribution, without identifying
those parties by name or even type of business, may be sufficient,
most Members believe a clear articulation of intended third-party
distribution is appropriate. Some Members strenuously agreed to
allow for, in limited circumstances, mere disclosures of third-party
distribution. As discussed below, in Guideline 3, this "limited
circumstance" is intended solely for law enforcement, statutory,
or other recognized third-party transfers such as where a company
shares data with credit-verification agencies. It must be remembered
that disclosure of this lack of choice is required. (However, where
a third-partys use of this information will be unrelated to
the purpose for which it is collected, Guideline 3 advocates giving
an opportunity to opt out of this disclosure.) Where a company may
make diverse uses of its data, such as for marketing or research
purposes, the policy must disclose what choices it gives the consumer
in these matters. Nothing in this Guideline 2 restricts a Member
from using the full range of choices in describing such recipients,
or mandates a particular level of choice as to its collection, use,
or distribution of the information. Thus companies are given a broad
field of possibilities in responding to the privacy concerns of
consumers, and consumers can provide their information or not, in
accordance with their concerns.
23. The second
paragraph of Guideline 2 further requires that the policy include
a statement of commitment to data security, and the nature of that
commitment receives substance in Guideline 4, Data Security. This
clause must be read together with the next clause, which sets out
what steps the company takes to ensure data quality and access.
Here "data quality" must be read to mean the classical
OECD formulation (most of which is restated in Guideline 5. Data
Quality and Access), that is, its relevance to the purpose for which
it is to be used, and its accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
(See OECD Data Quality Principle.) "Access" means the
individual right to know whether a company maintains relevant individual
information, and to have the relevant information communicated in
a reasonable time, manner, intelligible form, and for a fee that
is not excessive to ensure the data are accurate. Once again, provided
the policy is clear in its enunciation of these items, a company
is free to explore a universe of possibilities, subject to the minimum
standards set out in the following three Guidelines.
24. The last
paragraph of this Guideline covers two distinct subjects. The first
requires disclosure of the consequences of a refusal to provide
information. In most cases, this will probably be obvious, as the
company will not be able to provide a good or service without the
required information, such as an address, or a valid credit card
number or other verifiable payment mechanism. In other cases, this
may be less clear, and will require significant thought and discussion,
as when an on-line mortgage broker, for example, provides different
levels of mortgage funding at different rates, depending on the
clarity, or detail, of information provided.
25. The second
sentence requires disclosure of the "accountability mechanism"
that the Member uses and how one can contact the organization. This
might have profited from being separated into its own paragraph,
for it relates to one of the great OECD principles, which supports
the entire privacy edifice, the Accountability Principle, and relates
further to enforcement and redress. Again, however, alternative
approaches are encouraged. The accountability mechanism can be anything
from merely providing contact points with the customer service department
of a company to active participation in a third-party verification
program and display of a certifying "seal" on the website.
This is discussed below under "Enforcement." Again, the
universe of accountability mechanisms is expanding and diversifying
rapidly, and no single mechanism may be appropriate to all sectors.
Some mechanisms may not even have been developed yet. Some may require
sophisticated fact-finding or technical knowledge; some may require
immediate action and others may permit problems to be addressed
in a more leisurely fashion. The important point of the policy is
that the Member disclose the choice he or she has made so an individual
may have his or her concerns addressed.
must be given the opportunity to exercise choice regarding how
individually identifiable information collected from them on-line
may be used when such use is unrelated to the purpose for which
the information was collected. At a minimum, individuals should
be given the opportunity to opt out of such use. Additionally,
in the vast majority of circumstances, where there is third-party
distribution of individually identifiable information, collected
on-line from the individual, unrelated to the purpose for which
it was collected, the individual should be given the opportunity
to opt out.
for such use or third-party distribution may also be obtained
through technological tools or opt-in."
26. This Guideline
covers use of the collected information for a purpose unrelated
to that for which it was gathered, either by the entity that originally
gathered it, or by a third-party to whom it is distributed. Under
Guideline 2, the intended use must be disclosed. The information
may not be used by the gathering entity without extending to the
individual "[a]t a minimum the opportunity to opt out of such
[unrelated] use." Although the Guideline uses "should"
language for opt out of third-party distribution, the vast majority
of Members believe opt out is mandatory for all cases of unrelated
use. The permissive "should" language was intended to
cover two situations: first where the third-party disclosure is
pursuant to law, statute, regulation, or disclosed contract; and
second, those business models where the service is provided in exchange
for the provision of personal information, and the ability to use
that information. Rather than attempt to cover the universe of "exceptions"
in the Guidelines, the Members believe the standard should be interpreted
as mandatory, with limited exceptions.
27. Whether
a purpose is "unrelated" should be approached from a common-sense
perspective. It should at a minimum be measured against the uses
disclosed and the reasonable expectations of the individual. It
is not acceptable to disclose that one will use the information
for "any related business purpose now known or hereafter discovered
by us" or the like. Some degree of specificity is required.
28. Opt-out
is mandatory, "in the vast majority of cases," where a
third-party to whom the information is distributed will use it for
an unrelated purpose. It should be noted that this provision
implies two things. First, a Member who outsources various of its
functions in order to fulfill the "purpose for which the information
is gathered" need not provide opt out. The provision of the
information to the third-party is probably necessary for fulfillment
of the Members contracted obligation to the individual. Other
"uses" of the information may be required for reasonable
business purposes for successful completion of the companys
undertaking to the consumer, such as using it to verify his or her
creditworthiness or his or her address for the shipment of a product.
Opt-out should not be necessary in this circumstance. Second, the
opt out will normally apply to both the disclosure to the third-party
and the unrelated use, unless this third-party is also performing
a function of the information gatherers disclosed use and
use can be limited. A third-partys merely storing data, or
combining it with other data, thus would appear to be an unrelated
29. It is expected
that an opt out must be given where unrelated use by a third-party
is anticipated.
The last sentence of this Guideline reminds the reader that providing
opt out for unrelated use is a minimum, for it suggests that "opt
out" could also take the form of "consent" or "opt-in."
The drafters wished to underscore that the exercise of choice in
the on-line environment can be accomplished in numerous ways, and
they encourage the use of new technological tools to empower consumers
to exercise choice.
creating, maintaining, using or disseminating individually identifiable
information should take appropriate measures to ensure its reliability
and should take reasonable precautions to protect it from loss,
misuse or alteration. They should take reasonable steps to ensure
that third parties to which they transfer such information are
aware of these security practices, and that the third parties
also take reasonable precautions to protect any transferred
31. The coverage
of this paragraph is broader than at first appears, for it applies
not only to companies gathering information, but to those who maintain,
use, or disseminate it, regardless of the source of the information.
All companies in the information stream must take appropriate measures
to ensure its "reliability." The measures will vary with
the sector and the type of information. Information used for medical
treatment, or to make decisions of grave personal consequence to
individuals, will conceivably require an enhanced set of measures.
Reasonable precautions must be taken to protect against loss, misuse,
or alteration. Again, "reasonableness" will be determined
by the perceived gravity of consequences if the precautions fail,
measured against the state of the art and best practices in preventing
loss, misuse, or alteration.
32. "Security"
in this context goes beyond prevention of unauthorized access, such
as protection from hackers. It also means internal misuse of data
by company personnel. The concept of "misuse" of data
includes "unauthorized access," so that measures taken
should include precautions against access by employees, contractors,
and others who have no need for access to the data to fulfill their
duties, or appropriate limitations on access to portions of files
containing data irrelevant to their functions. Security protection
may require thoughtful software and database structuring, appropriate
periodic changes of passwords and access codes, meticulous attention
to changes of personnel and levels of authorized access, and other
recognized security precautions.
33. It should
be noted that the security steps are designed to ensure "reliability,"
not "data quality." The "quality" of data refers
to its accuracy, and its completeness and timeliness for the purpose
for which it is to be used. "Reliability" refers to the
non-altered state of the information as originally obtained and
subsequently maintained.
34. Alliance
Members are again obligated to take "reasonable" steps
to increase an understanding of the Guidelines by undertaking to
ensure that third parties who have access to this information adopt
similar precautions. What steps are "reasonable" must
again await practical experience, and take into account the kind
and sensitivity of the information concerned. Members who handle
financial or medical information that they share with business partners,
or have processed by service providers, may find a greater need
for detailed formal contracts to ensure a full appreciation of the
necessary security precautions. Other businesses may be "reasonable"
in relying on developing business practices. Nevertheless, the educational
function of this requirement, and the intention to cascade "best
practices," is clear.
creating, maintaining, using or disseminating individually identifiable
information should take reasonable steps to ensure that the
data are accurate, complete and timely for the purposes for
which they are to be used.
should establish appropriate processes or mechanisms so that
inaccuracies in material individually identifiable information,
such as account or contact information, may be corrected. These
processes and mechanisms should be simple and easy to use, and
provide assurance that inaccuracies have been corrected. Other
procedures to ensure data quality may include use of reliable
sources and collection methods, reasonable and appropriate consumer
access and correction, and protections against accidental or
unauthorized alteration."
35. This section
outlines data quality and access. Consumer access to database information
serves three purposes. The first is assure that information used
for substantive decision making is accurate and adequate for the
purpose. US public policy has recognized the importance of access
for this purpose, and it is covered by laws such as the Fair Credit
Reporting Act.
The second purpose
is knowledge; assuring consumers they have enough knowledge to participate
in an information based economy and may exercise appropriate choice.
Often access may be replaced by quality notice and consumer education
materials in helping consumers understand the use of information.
In fact, notices and education often do a better job of giving the
consumer the context to make thoughtful choices.
Lastly, consumer
access provides a check and balance. If collectors, storers, users
and distributors of information are aware that the data they process
will be visible to the consumer, they will be more thoughtful about
the data they collect, how they use it, and who they share it with.
Much of the
European concern about access rests on this third purpose. At the
same time consumer access often requires system changes, consumer
services, and security measures that are more expensive than the
value they deliver. The open question is whether quality notices,
combined with openness about commercial processes and products,
and FTC Section 5 authority can create enough balance to act as
a check.
Guideline 2
requires the company to inform individuals what steps it takes to
ensure data quality. The data must be accurate, complete, and timely
for the purposes for which they are to be used. The "purpose
test" often involves the problem of whether or not harm can
be caused to individuals because of lack of accuracy, completeness,
or updating. Consequently, what is "reasonable" to ensure
data quality may vary dramatically from business to business. Some
businesses may need to verify certain information, or cross-check
it. Under Guideline 2, these steps will need to be disclosed in
the policy adopted by each Member, and significant variations in
policies would not be unexpected.
36. The second
paragraph represents the Alliance Members best efforts to
implement the OECD Individual Participation Principle and the guidance
of the Department of Commerce in its "Elements of Effective
Self-Regulation" (Annex II) in their businesses, and to provide
"access" to ensure data quality. The Guidelines
put data quality in a prime position, and "access" is
one of the methods by which such quality can be ensured. It should
be noted that access is not given for the sake of access, but to
ensure the data is correct and up-to-date.
37. The requirement
that Members have processes to correct inaccuracies would appear
at first glance a mere restatement of a practical business principle.
However, the Guideline now raises a practical business principle
to the status of enforceable obligation. Members must have mechanisms
in place that are carefully proscribed. They must be simple and
easy to use, presumably by consumers, and that provide assurance
that inaccuracies have been corrected. This latter phrase is intended
to encourage Members to provide a "feedback mechanism"
to consumers who request corrections to ensure that they are carried
out, in lieu of an obligation to provide a copy of all the information
on file. In addition, the section suggests other practical means
of ensuring data quality, which are self-evident.
38. Among the
means of ensuring data quality are "reasonable and appropriate
consumer access and correction." Because this is the only phrase
in the Guidelines modified by both "reasonable" and "appropriate,"
it bears discussion in some depth. In American common law, the phrase
"reasonable" generally indicates that a balance of cost
versus benefit, of reference to expectations, of reference to technical
art, must be made. Sometimes this is in the context of determining
if an effort that it was alleged should have been made should in
all similar circumstances be made, or whether a paradigmatic entity
called a "reasonable man" would agree that an effort was,
or was not, "reasonable." Not too dissimilarly, the word
"appropriate" indicates a sense of being "fitted
to," or "in good measure with" some other object.
In short, whether an outlay of effort, or a failure to do so, is
"reasonable" or "appropriate" is a conclusion,
is contextual, and changes over time. Whether it was "reasonable"
not to have a radar screen in a tugboat in New York Harbor depended
on the state of the art of the development of radar, not whether
other tugboats used radar. Thus the conclusion that in 1948 it was
unreasonable not to have radar was made independently of whether
it was "reasonable" in 1938. Consequently, these words
are intended to permit the development and interpretation of this
phrase regarding access to and correction of information by an individual
to track the development of technology, consumers expectations,
and Americas mores in this respect.
39. Finally,
the word "access" should be clarified, and it is not perhaps
an ideal term for what is intended, which is to provide a mechanism
to ensure the consumer that the information she has provided on-line
is accurate, that the data has the quality anticipated.
It is not intended to provide entrée into all information
on the companys computer regarding the individual. Such "access"
to information within a companys system would in many cases
violate Guideline 4, Data Security, and might violate confidentiality
commitments given to third-party information providers, or even
the privacy of others. For example, a consumers direct access
to his or her customer file with a company might enable the commitment
of serious fraud on the company, or even on the consumer, in the
case of someone having stolen his or her identity. Only authorized
personnel within the organization who are responsible for Data Quality
should have true physical access to the computer database. What
is intended is something very similar to that set out in the European
Unions Data Protection Directive, which requires that a company
provide an individual with a description of the kinds of personally
identifiable information it has obtained on-line from the consumer,
and determine if it can respond to the individuals concern
or question with either partial or summary information. If the individuals
concern is not satisfied, then the company may, if it is reasonable
and appropriate in the circumstance, provide a copy of the information
to the individual.
for Childrens On-line Activities
40. In enunciating
these principles, the Online Privacy Alliance has more clearly articulated
principles of protection of children than has ever been done before.
The Principles are based on two developmental assumptions and require
parental consent whenever possible. The first developmental assumption
is that children 12 and younger, or under the age of 13, are assumed
not to know the potential consequences and dangers of disclosing
personal information about themselves in a public forum, or to a
commercial website. Consequently, collecting off-line contact information
gathered from children requires the prior consent of a parent while
collecting on-line contact information requires parental involvement.
The age of 13 was not a random choice, but an age referred to in
conferences at the Department of Commerce and in other forums by
knowledgeable childhood development experts as the usual end of
the age of innocence, when children learn that being untruthful
about their age provides them access to forbidden fruit.
41. These
principles apply in two special circumstances: where sites are intended
to attract children under 13, and sites where the age of visitors
is known, such as when the information gathered includes age. Those
sites must follow the principles to obtain prior parental consent
for carrying on certain activities, which are discussed below. Presumably,
companies intending to attract children below the age of 13 will
know their target audiences age, and provide the necessary
mechanisms to comply with these principles. Similarly, when a site
requests age information and a registrant answers that he or she
is 12 or under, the site will automatically exclude the child from
being able to provide further personal information until the principles
are complied with.
42. The
first principle applies to the collection of on-line contact
information by the site, that is, an E-mail address. A site doing
this must either get a parents consent or obtain, presumably
from the child, a means of notifying the parent of the nature and
intended use of the contact information, such as to E-mail the child
notices of new events or features on the site. This notice to the
parent must provide an opportunity to prevent use of the information
or participation in the activity. This requirement might be met
by providing E-mail notices that clearly explain how the parent
can do this, such as by replying to the message and inserting one
word in the body of the reply, such as "unsubscribe,"
as is done with listservs and other automatic broadcast subscription
43. This
first principle represents the balance Alliance Members were able
to strike between the desire to obtain that consent and the realities
of the Internet. There is no way for a website to verify that someone
identified by the child as a parent is indeed their parent. Because
of this uncertainty, the use of this on-line contact information
is restricted. For example, on-line contact information may be used
to respond to a childs request, such as to receive a password,
or to be told of new developments on the site, or to obtain parental
consent. The site may not use the information to contact the child
for other purposes, such as marketing, without the parents
44. Prior
parental consent, as opposed to notification, must be obtained by
a website when off-line contact information is gathered, such as
a telephone number or home address, possibly even the name of a
childs school; or when individually identifiable information
about the child, including an E-mail address, is to be transferred
to third parties, regardless of the purpose for which will be used;
or the site permits a child to post or publicly distribute his or
her individual contact information (such as an E-mail address).
Sites that are designed to attract children under 13 must attempt
to prohibit a child from posting contact information. Presumably,
this means that the bulletin board or chat room will have a monitor
to prevent this, or postings could be delayed until reviewed by
an adult or technological means could be employed.
45. The
principles are silent on how the parents consent shall be
obtained. Experience will demonstrate the best and safest practice
in this regard. Given that this is an on-line medium, the first
area of experimentation might involve eliciting the parents
E-mail address from the child. Other possibilities involve inviting
the child to request a parent to write or telephone, or perhaps
immediately participate in the childs registration at a site.
One solution that would not be acceptable would be to elicit from
the child the parents off-line address or phone number, as
this might be used to identify the childs off-site contact
46. Finally,
the principles forbid sites from "enticing" a child under
13 by the prospect of a special game, prize, or other activity,
to divulge more information than is needed to participate in that
activity. In essence, this protective principle restates for children
the Purpose Specification Principle of the OECD Guidelines, but
in even stricter terms. The Purpose Specification Principle requires
disclosure of the purpose of the information collection and limits
its use to that purpose or "not-incompatible" purposes.
The Privacy Alliance Members have agreed that, in the case of children,
the sites activity, which presumably attracts the child to
the location, is itself the disclosure of intended use and purpose.
Information collected is limited to only what is necessary and used
only for that activity. There is no "not incompatible purpose"
expansion of permissible use.
47. The Alliance
Guideline recommendation on self-regulation puts detail and substance
into the OECD Accountability Principle. Effective enforcement of
self-regulation requires: (1) verification and monitoring;
(2) complaint resolution; and (3) education and outreach,
and is premised on compliance with an enforcement of existing law
and regulation.
48. Given the
unique and still developing nature of on-line commerce, where trust
in how information is handled may not yet be well established, acceptable
procedures should be created and administered by a third-party,
whose presence can be simply and adequately demonstrated by the
appearance of its seal of certification on the Members website.
The seal would indicate that the Member submits its privacy policies,
and its compliance with its own policy, to third-party verification,
and resolution of complaints by consumers through a credible dispute
resolution mechanism.
49. The Alliance
supports third-party enforcement programs that permit companies
to display a seal that it is hoped will gain recognition by consumers
as a symbol of assurance. The Alliances analysis of an effective
seal program, which bears some similarity to an independent auditors
verification of financial reporting, calls for verification and
monitoring of compliance with the Members policy, either through
self-assessment or by a compliance review by the seal program operator.
Whether this effort will be successful with consumers will in part
depend on the publics understanding of the significance of
a given seal, and its trust in the seal-givers credibility.
50. Parallel
to this seal-granting program, trust establishment demands a means
for consumers to have complaints about the information-handling
processes of Members resolved by a process perceived to be independent
and impartial. The work to date indicates that this process, and
the institutions needed to provide it, are still in the process
of formation.
51. The discussion
of the Privacy Seal Programs advocated by the Alliance, including
the characteristics of a program, the programs verification
and monitoring obligations, the circumstances under which a seal
might be revoked, and the structure of a consumer complaint mechanism
are clear. The Alliance has outlined what a seal program provider
must do in terms of scale, scope, and substance, to be considered
to be providing an effective enforcement program. Thus the Alliance
gives clear direction as to what a third-party validator of a Members
privacy program must do to provide an effective validation and enforcement
service. This is a significant contribution to the literature on
self-regulation. Whether one or more of such programs will prove
successful, or even necessary, will no doubt be determined by market
forces, but the exercise demonstrates that self-regulatory efforts
by business can produce ingenious, unprecedented, and flexible consumer
protection mechanisms.
52. The
Association Policy of the Alliance is self-explanatory, but merits
the observation that it requires Association Members to encourage
their Members to adopt privacy Guidelines consistent with the Alliance
Guidelines. The Association Member itself agrees to adopt privacy
Guidelines consistent with the Alliance Guidelines insofar as the
Association engages in on-line activities. Although this commitment
does not require the Association Member to adopt policies on behalf
of its Membership that are similarly consistent, the Association
does commit to encourage its Members to do so. Again, the Guidelines
look for a "cascade" and educational effect of their efforts
in this regard.
As set forth
in A Framework for Global Electronic Commerce, the Clinton
administration supports private-sector efforts to implement meaningful,
consumer-friendly, self-regulatory regimes to protect privacy. To
be meaningful, self-regulation must do more than articulate broad
policies or Guidelines. Effective self-regulation involves substantive
rules, as well as the means to ensure that consumers know the rules,
that companies comply with them, and that consumers have appropriate
recourse when injuries result from noncompliance. This paper discusses
the elements of effective self-regulatory regimes -- elements that
incorporate principles of fair information practices with enforcement
mechanisms that ensure compliance with those practices.
A. Principles
of Fair Information Practices
Fair information
practices were originally identified by an advisory committee of
the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1973 and
form the basis for the Privacy Act of 1974, the legislation that
protects personal information collected and maintained by the U.S.
government. These principles were later adopted by the international
community in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developments
Guidelines for the Protection of Personal Data and Transborder Data
Flows. Principles of fair information practices include consumer
awareness, choice, appropriate levels of security, and consumer
access to their personally identifiable data. While the discussion
that follows suggests ways in which these principles can be implemented,
the private sector is encouraged to develop its own ways of accomplishing
this goal.
Awareness. At a minimum, consumers need to know the identity
of the collector of their personal information, the intended uses
of the information, and the means by which they may limit its disclosure.
Companies collecting and using data are responsible for raising
consumer awareness and can do so through the following avenues:
policies. Privacy policies articulate the manner in which
a company collects, uses, and protects data, and the choices
they offer consumers to exercise rights when their personal
information is used. On the basis of this policy, consumers
can determine whether and to what extent they wish to make
information available to companies.
A companys privacy policy should be made known to consumers.
Notification should be written in language that is clear and
easily understood, should be displayed prominently, and should
be made available before consumers are asked to relinquish
information to the company.
education. Companies should teach consumers to ask for
relevant knowledge about why information is being collected,
what the information will be used for, how it will be protected,
the consequences of providing or withholding information,
and any recourse they may have. Consumer education enables
consumers to make informed decisions about how they allow
their personal data to be used as they participate in the
information economy. Consumer education may be carried out
by individual companies, trade associations, or industry public-service
Choice. Consumers should be given the opportunity to exercise
choice with respect to whether and how their personal information
is used, either by businesses with whom they have direct contact
or by third parties. Consumers should be provided with simple, readily
visible, available, and affordable mechanisms -- whether through
technological means or otherwise -- to exercise this option. For
certain kinds of information, e.g., medical information or information
related to children, an affirmative choice by consumers may be appropriate.
In these cases, companies should not use personal information unless
its use is explicitly consented to by the individual or, in the
case of children, his or her parent or guardian.
Data Security. Companies creating, maintaining, using or
disseminating records of identifiable personal information should
take reasonable measures to ensure its reliability for its intended
use and should take reasonable precautions to protect it from loss,
misuse, alteration, or destruction. Companies should also strive
to ensure that the level of protection extended by third parties
to whom they transfer personal information is at a level comparable
to its own.
Consumer Access. Consumers should have the opportunity for
reasonable, appropriate access to information about them that a
company holds, and be able to correct or amend that information
when necessary. The extent of access may vary from industry to industry.
Providing access to consumer information can be costly to companies,
and thus decisions about the level of appropriate access should
take into account the nature of the information collected, the number
of locations in which it is stored, the nature of the enterprise,
and the ways in which the information is to be used.
B. Enforcement.
To be effective,
a self-regulatory privacy regime should include mechanisms to ensure
compliance with the rules and appropriate recourse to an injured
party when rules are not followed. Such mechanisms are essential
tools to enable consumers to exercise their privacy rights, and
should, therefore, be readily available and affordable to consumers.
They may take several forms, as proposed below, and businesses may
need to use more than one, depending on the nature of the enterprise
and the kind of information the company collects and uses. The discussion
of enforcement tools below is in no way intended to be limiting.
The private sector may design the means to provide enforcement that
best suits its needs and the needs of consumers.
Consumer recourse. Companies that collect and use personally
identifiable information should offer consumers mechanisms by which
their complaints can be resolved. Such mechanisms should be readily
available and affordable.
Verification. Verification provides attestation that the
assertions businesses make about their privacy practices are true
and that privacy practices have been implemented as represented.
The nature and the extent of verification depends on the kind of
information with which a company deals -- companies using highly
sensitive information may be held to a higher standard of verification.
Because verification may be costly for business, work needs to be
done to arrive at appropriate, cost-effective ways to provide companies
with the means to provide verification.
Consequences. For self-regulation to be effective, failure to
comply with fair information practices should have consequences.
Among these consequences may be cancellation of the right to use
a certifying seal or logo, posting the name of the noncomplier on
a publicly available "bad-actor" list, or disqualification
from Membership in an industry trade association. Noncompliers could
be required to pay the costs of determining their noncompliance.
Ultimately, sanctions should be stiff enough to be meaningful and
swift enough to ensure consumers that their concerns are addressed
in a timely fashion. When companies make assertions that they are
abiding by certain privacy practices and then fail to do so, they
may be liable for fraud and subject to action by the FTC.
(23rd September
Having regard
to articles 1(c), 3(a) and 5(b) of the Convention
on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of
14th December, 1960;
that automatic
processing and transborder flows of personal data create new
forms of relationships among countries and require the development
of compatible rules and practices;
that transborder
flows of personal data contribute to economic and social development;
that domestic
legislation concerning privacy protection and transborder flows
of personal data may hinder such transborder flows;
Determined to
advance the free flow of information between Member countries and
to avoid the creation of unjustified obstacles to the development
of economic and social relations among Member countries;
1. That Member
countries take into account in their domestic legislation the principles
concerning the protection of privacy and individual liberties set
forth in the Guidelines contained in the Annex to this Recommendation
which is an integral part thereof;
2. That Member
countries endeavour to remove or avoid creating, in the name of
privacy protection, unjustified obstacles to transborder flows of
personal data;
3. That Member
countries co-operate in the implementation of the Guidelines set
forth in the Annex;
4. That Member
countries agree as soon as possible on specific procedures of consultation
and co-operation for the application of these Guidelines.
to the Recommendation of the Council of 23rd September 1980
1. For the purposes
of these Guidelines:
"personal data" means any information relating to
an identified or identifiable individual (data subject);
"transborder flows of personal data" means movements
of personal data across national borders.
Scope of
2. These Guidelines
apply to personal data, whether in the public or private sectors,
which, because of the manner in which they are processed, or because
of their nature or the context in which they are used, pose a danger
to privacy and individual liberties.
3. These Guidelines
should not be interpreted as preventing:
the exclusion from the application of the Guidelines of personal
data which obviously do not contain any risk to privacy and
individual liberties; or
the application of the Guidelines only to automatic processing
of personal data.
4. Exceptions
to the Principles contained in Parts Two and Three of these Guidelines,
including those relating to national sovereignty, national security
and public policy ("ordre public"), should be:
(b) made
known to the public.
5 . In the particular
case of Federal countries the observance of these Guidelines may
be affected by the division of powers in the Federation.
6. These Guidelines
should be regarded as minimum standards which are capable of being
supplemented by additional measures for the protection of privacy
and individual liberties.
Limitation Principle
7. There should
be limits to the collection of personal data, and any such data
should be obtained by lawful and fair means and, where appropriate,
with the knowledge or consent of the data subject.
Data Quality
8. Personal
data should be relevant to the purposes for which they are to be
used, and, to the extent necessary for those purposes, should be
accurate, complete and kept up-to-date.
Purpose Specification
9. The purposes
for which personal data are collected should be specified not later
than at the time of data collection and the subsequent use limited
to the fulfillment of those purposes or such others as are not incompatible
with those purposes and as are specified on each occasion of change
of purpose.
Use Limitation
10. Personal
data should not be disclosed, made available or otherwise used for
purposes other than those specified in accordance with Paragraph
9 except:
by the authority of law.
Safeguards Principle
11. Personal
data should be protected by reasonable security safeguards against
such risks as loss or unauthorised access, destruction, use, modification
or disclosure of data.
12. There should
be a general policy of openness about developments, practices and
policies with respect to personal data. Means should be readily
available of establishing the existence and nature of personal data,
and the main purposes of their use, as well as the identity and
usual residence of the data controller.
Participation Principle
13. An individual
should have the right:
to have communicated to him, data relating to him
to challenge data relating to him and, if the challenge is successful
to have the data erased, rectified, completed or amended.
14. A data controller
should be accountable for complying with measures which give effect
to the principles stated above.
15. Member countries
should take into consideration the implications for other Member
countries of domestic processing and re-export of personal data.
16. Member countries
should take all reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure that
transborder flows of personal data, including transit through a
Member country, are uninterrupted and secure.
17. A Member
country should refrain from restricting transborder flows of personal
data between itself and another Member country except where the
latter does not yet substantially observe these Guidelines or where
the re-export of such data would circumvent its domestic privacy
legislation. A Member country may also impose restrictions in respect
of certain categories of personal data for which its domestic privacy
legislation includes specific regulations in view of the nature
of those data and for which the other Member country provides no
equivalent protection.
18. Member countries
should avoid developing laws, policies and practices in the name
of the protection of privacy and individual liberties, which would
create obstacles to transborder flows of personal data that would
exceed requirements for such protection.
19. In implementing
domestically the principles set forth in Parts Two and Three, Member
countries should establish legal, administrative or other procedures
or institutions for the protection of privacy and individual liberties
in respect of personal data. Member countries should in particular
endeavour to:
encourage and support self-regulation, whether in the form of
codes of conduct or otherwise;
provide for reasonable means for individuals to exercise their
provide for adequate sanctions and remedies in case of failures
to comply with measures which implement the principles set forth
in Parts Two and Three; and
ensure that there is no unfair discrimination against data subjects.
20. Member countries
should, where requested, make known to other Member countries details
of the observance of the principles set forth in these Guidelines.
Member countries should also ensure that procedures for transborder
flows of personal data and for the protection of privacy and individual
liberties are simple and compatible with those of other Member countries
which comply with these Guidelines.
21. Member countries
should establish procedures to facilitate:
22. Member countries
should work towards the development of principles, domestic and
international, to govern the applicable law in the case of transborder
flows of personal data.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The IRB consists of the following members who are appointed by the Provost:
Peggy C. Bowen, Ph.D., CTS—Chair, Department of Psychology and Counseling
Catherine Emery, M.S., OTR/L -- Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Carrie Fitzpatrick, Ph.D. -- Assistant Professor of English, Communication
Sister Patrice Klausing, OSF -- Community Representative
Ana Ruiz, Ph.D. -- Professor of Psychology and Counseling
Spencer Stober, Ed.D. -- Ph.D. Program Director
Evelina Panayotova, Ph.D. -- Director of Institutional Research
Alvernia University is committed to increasing the quantity and quality of research conducted by members of the Alvernia community. Research conducted at Alvernia should reflect our mission as well as the principles of academic freedom and the dedication to the pursuit of new knowledge. Alvernia University is committed to protecting and ensuring the rights, privacy, and welfare of those individuals participating in research projects conducted at our institution.