MEDIA-I: Internet industry pledges net code will boost etail

<p>SYDNEY: Australia's Internet Industry Association is pushing for a </p><p>new industry-led code of practice which would limit the amount of </p><p>personal information available on the web on children and tighten the </p><p>rules of direct marketing. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Together with its recently-launched federal election campaign, the IIA </p><p>claims the code will tackle the main hurdles holding back Australia's </p><p>ecommerce economy. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Our code is intended to position Australian businesses which deal with </p><p>personal information, particularly, but not only, over the internet," </p><p>IIA chief executive Peter Coroneous said. "The lack of trust which </p><p>presently permeates e-commerce, at least in the minds of many end users, </p><p>means that the industry has to go that extra mile to deal with the </p><p>natural reticence of people to deal with unseen entities in a virtual </p><p>environment." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>If adopted, the code would work with existing government regulations and </p><p>give businesses the chance to offer consumers more protection. Unlike </p><p>government regulation, the code could be easily updated to fill any </p><p>emerging gaps in privacy practice. Specifically, it aims to extend </p><p>privacy rules regarding personal information about children, the use of </p><p>DM online with a preference for permission-based models. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>