CDMA CALLS FOR PRIVACY LAWS
By Adnews Staff
The Canadian Direct Marketing Association wants all people who sell their wares through phone pitches, catalogues and flyers to be legally bound to play by the same rules as CDMA members. The Toronto-based organization, which says it represents companies making 80% of sales in the $9-billion direct marketing industry in Canada, has called on the federal government to pass national privacy legislation. It is also asking the provinces to pass identical laws. This would offer protection against personal information gathered by marketers being used in ways that would be against the consumers' wishes. The CDMA already has a privacy code which requires direct marketers to give customers the chance to say whether or not they want any information about themselves passed on to other parties. CDMA members are required to abide by their customers' wishes. The code also gives consumers the right to see and correct any information about themselves held by a company, and to be told how the company got the information. CDMA president John Gustavson says that there is no evidence of widespread abuse so far. But "a tidal wave of information technology" is coming which could lead to practices that would give a black eye to the whole industry.