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264 Part Two Information Technology Infrastructure

INTERACTIVE SESSION: ORGANIZATIONS

CONTROVERSY WHIRLS AROUND THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY DATABASE

Michele Witte was one of dozens of parents who CPSC database does not include safety problems with
lost their children because of the defective design these products.)
of drop-side cribs. In 1997, Witte’s 10-month-old son The CPSC collects reports on defective prod-
Tyler perished when the drop-side rail on his crib ucts from consumers, health care providers, death
came loose, partially detached, and then trapped his certificates, media accounts, and other sources. It
neck between the rail and the headboard. The cribs uses that information to make decisions on product
are now banned. Witte wishes that a public informa- recalls and bans, but until recently, very little of that
tion resource for consumer complaints had been information was accessible to the public. Federal
available prior to the death of her child. Reading law formerly required the approval of manufactur-
other parents’ horror stories might have dissuaded ers to publicize that information, and manufactur-
her from purchasing a drop-side crib. ers weren’t eager to release information about their
In March 2011, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety faulty products. Not only that, but the CPSC had to
Commission (CPSC) stood poised to meet the needs negotiate directly with manufacturers to determine
of parents like Witte by launching an online data- the terms of product recalls. Because this process
base, located at www.saferproducts.gov. The database usually takes a year or more, consumers continue
will provide the public with access to the full reposi- to buy shoddy and perhaps dangerous products like
tory of product safety complaints that it has received. drop-side cribs in the interim.
Users can submit these complaints online directly Under the new system, complaints filed by con-
into the database. Visitors to the database will be sumers will be posted online and be available to the
able to search for products, read other complaints, public within 15 days. Companies will be notified
and view safety warnings issued by the CPSC. within 5 days when complaints are made about their
Complaints in the database will include a description products, and the CPSC will give them 10 days to
of product, the harm or risk from the product, the respond publicly and have their comments published
name of the manufacturer, contact information, and alongside the complaints in the database. Users will
an affirmation that the submitter is telling the truth. have the option for their comments to remain confi-
The submitter’s name will not appear in the database dential if they prefer. Manufacturers will be able to
but could be provided to manufacturers if the sub- appeal to the CPSC to eliminate false or misleading
mitter agreed. complaints, and complaints will be limited to defects
Consumer advocates such as the Consumer that can cause injury, not reliability or product qual-
Federation of America are praising the database as a ity.
revolutionary resource that will drastically improve At a time when the federal budget is under
the way consumers buy products. However, increased scrutiny, programs like the CPSC database
manufacturing companies and many members of have become targets for cost-cutting, and manufac-
Congress are in opposition. They argue that turers have seized an opportunity to stop the data-
because any user can submit a complaint, the data- base in its tracks. The law gave CPSC new authority
base will be filled with inaccurate and misleading to regulate unsafe products but businesses say it is
information—“fictitious slams” against products. It overly burdensome. A House Energy and Commerce
will also be open to abuse from customers with an subcommittee is considering draft legislation to
axe to grind, or trial lawyers seeking to tarnish a restrict who can submit reports to the database, to
product or manufacturer’s reputation for personal improve how products are identified, and to resolve
gain. claims that reports are inaccurate.
The database represents an increase in visibility Despite strong opposition from manufacturers and
and authority for the CPSC, which was formed in others, in March 2011, the site was launched to gener-
1972 by the Consumer Product Safety Act. The role ally positive reviews. The CPSC provided additional
of the CPSC is to regulate thousands of different features, like the ability to attach images to com-
types of products, with special focus on those that ments. Commenters must provide their name, mail-
are not regulated by other areas of the government ing address, telephone number, and e-mail address,
already, like food, firearms, and automobiles. (The which is expected to curtail the types of anonymous

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