FTC member says privacy concerns becoming 'hysteria'
Privacy from Companies
6/5/2001; 8:14:24 PM 'Leary acknowledged that companies can and do collect a sea of data on individual consumers, but "this hysteria [over privacy] is misplaced." Citing the example of grocery stores that collect purchasing data from customers who use discount cards, Leary said there will be so much data out there that companies won't be able to use it all in ways that hurt the individual consumer.'

Wouldn't have mentioned this if it weren't an FTC member. I'd like to invite FTC Commissioner Thomas Leary to a grad-level datamining course at any reputable university with a decent computer science course. Check your common sense about what is and isn't possible at the door.