The Paris-based software company made the recommendation as it became the latest member of the Personalization Consortium, an advocacy group created to promote the responsible use of technology for personalizing consumer and business relationships.

Opt-In, Opt-Out

A wholly owned subsidiary of smart-card technology firm Gemplus, SLP InfoWare already has implemented several features to help people keep control over private data that is used to personalize offers and information from Web sites, call centers and mobile devices.

For example, the company provides opt-in and opt-out capabilities for wireless subscribers and Internet users. It also is integrating its P-CRM applications with Gemplus" secure smart-card technology.

Guarding Information, Access

Such efforts not only help secure personal information in an individual's profile, but also let users decide who has access to that information, SLP InfoWare said.

"Consumers are more open to marketing offers if they meet specific personal needs and interests, but they also want to be sure that the information used to personalize those offers is secure," said Jean Schmitt, chief executive officer of SLP InfoWare. "We are all concerned about who has access to our personal information ... "

CRM-Based Privacy Platform

SLP InfoWare said it based its privacy platform on its own experience in developing and deploying CRM applications that use personal data to personalize customer service and marketing offers. The company's core technology is designed to analyze customer data and help predict which marketing offers a subscriber or online consumer is most likely to accept.

"This increases [businesses"] ROI by focusing marketing expenditures only on those customers who are interested in receiving unique offers personalized to their needs and interests," Schmitt said.

Multiple Touchpoints

Marketers can use SLP InfoWare's software to predict responses across multiple customer touchpoints, including call centers, Web sites, WAP-enabled phones and other mobile devices. The company said its applications are used to predict the behavior of more than 25 million consumers in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

In addition to its Paris headquarters, SLP InfoWare also operates offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London; Frankfurt, Germany; and Singapore.

Parent company Gemplus specializes in smart-card technology for security, wireless and e-business applications. The technology is used for Web-based and mobile commerce, financial transactions, loyalty initiatives, pay-TV access and physical and logical access control.