And as some have pointed out, with no regulations like this one, no provider will voluntarily provide anything more than the minimal possible level of privacy for this data.
Providers registering for the online course were asked to voluntarily provide anonymous data on race, sex, age, and geographic region.
Many already voluntarily provide such benefits.
Some employers voluntarily provide such coverage though they are not required to do so.
In addition, the type of information companies voluntarily provide varies widely.
The Atlanta bureau of the S.E.C. asked Amgen to voluntarily provide information and documentation related to the study.
States voluntarily provide statistics to the Justice Department, and the study does not include figures for the 13 states that chose not to report statistics.
It warned that if companies did not voluntarily provide a satisfactory Do Not Track option, it would support additional laws that mandate it.
"No company is going to voluntarily provide information in a forum where competitors, critics and attackers can get hold of it," said Senator Bob Bennett, a Utah Republican who is a sponsor of the Critical Infrastructure Information Act of 2001.
Lawrence White's assertion that somehow ratings agencies should have known about Enron ("Credit and Credibility," Op-Ed, Feb. 24) overlooks three critical facts: First, ratings agencies rely on publicly available information, along with information that issuers voluntarily provide us.
