Live From Washington, DC: DMA to Launch Safe Harbor Program
The Direct Marketing Association has developed the DMA Safe Harbor Program to be made available to its members. The association is expected to announce the project within the next few weeks.
The free program provides members with the opportunity to meet the enforcement aspects of the EU Safe Harbor agreement, which require that an independent third-party dispute mechanism be available to consumers who are not able to reach resolution over privacy concerns with businesses.
“This is a mechanism that consumers can take advantage of free of charge if they have unresolved privacy concerns,” Jim Jones, the DMA’s director of privacy policy said, at the Government Affairs Conference in Washington, DC.
The decisions of the enforcement committee will be made public if the decision goes against the business. “As to how that will actually be done is up to the committee to determine on its own,” Jones said.
A seal is being developed for businesses to display to signify their participation in the program.
Members interested in the program will sign a contract with the DMA, agreeing to comply with certain criteria such as adhering to committee decisions and to disclose to consumers the availability of the program and how to take advantage of it, Jones said.
An advisory group that worked to develop the DMA Safe Harbor Program was made up of experts in data-privacy laws from both Europe and the United States, Jones said.
“We are not experts per se about safe harbor,” Jones said. “But we will try to provide support and assistance to our members to have a better understanding of what the EU Safe Harbor requirements are.”
