Bill Gates - Privacy Lobbyist? You've got to be joking, right?

No. Microsoft - long time critic of privacy laws - has joined the Center for Democracy and Technology — a public policy group that lobbies Congress on privacy issues. The reason?
To call for a national Internet privacy law. Even some data brokers, who had their share of data breaches in 2005, have begun to support omnibus privacy legislation.

The change of heart comes from MS's perception of the privacy law area being a "jumble" of state and federal laws that create problems for businesses and consumers alike.

Largely true. More than 20 states have passed data breach or privacy legislation, and a national law may pass this year. While many states have followed the example of California’s 2003 law, significant ambiguity remains. For businesses looking to uphold industry best practices and promote the security of their brand, having a uniform standard might not be such a terrible thing. It’s also good for business to get into the mix: Without industry input, privacy legislation might go further than any of us would like.