Since online privacy is a very controversial issue, it’s not surprising that the debate is heating up again with the FTC report and Commerce Department report expected to be released in the next couple of weeks. WebProNews spoke with Jules Polonetsky, the Director of the Future of Privacy Forum, who told us that the Commerce Department’s report would be interesting since it will dictate the direction the White House takes on the matter.

While he doesn’t think the U.S. will see legislation this year, he does think we’ll have it eventually. He said that the U.S. was paying a lot of attention to Europe, especially since it is expected to change its privacy directive as well.

Polonetsky did tell us that 2012 would include even more scrutiny of companies and lots of hearings.

“I’ve never seen as much scrutiny,” he said.

For the companies that are not in favor of legislation, he recommends that they show how they are self-regulating.

Would you like to see online privacy legislation? We’d love to know your thoughts.