APEC Ministers Endorse the APEC Privacy Framework
APEC Ministers endorsed the APEC Privacy Framework at their November meeting in recognition of the significant contribution that it will make to APEC's efforts to increase cross-border trade and growth in e-commerce in the region. The Framework promotes a consistent approach to information privacy protection across APEC member economies, while also avoiding the creation of unnecessary barriers to information flows.
United States Secretary of State Colin Powell warned APEC ministers that a multiplicity of privacy standards could create confusion in the marketplace and impede the information flows that are vital to conducting business in a global economy.
"The APEC Privacy Framework will establish a consistent approach to privacy across APEC member economies, while also avoiding the creation of unnecessary barriers to information flows," said Secretary Powell.
"The result will be region-wide privacy policy compatibility, which will help keep APEC on the cutting edge of e-commerce."
Consistent with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's 1980 Privacy Guidelines, the Framework's privacy principles and implementation guidance are focused on the achievement of four main goals:
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To develop appropriate privacy protections for personal information
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To prevent the creation of unnecessary barriers to information flows
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To enable multinational businesses to implement uniform approaches to the collection, use, and processing of data, and
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To facilitate both domestic and international efforts to promote and enforce information privacy protections.
APEC Ministers also endorsed the Future Work Agenda on International Implementation of the APEC Privacy Framework, instructing APEC members to continue efforts to develop a regional approach to privacy that will support global business models.
Work in 2005 on information privacy will include discussion on the establishment of regional privacy codes.