Washington–The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held an Information Marketplace Workshop on March 13 to examine how companies exchange personal data and create consumer profiles. Among those testifying were representatives from the Direct Marketing Association. According to a DMA press release, the association testified that the “appropriate sharing of marketing data benefits consumers, business, and the economy, while protecting consumer privacy.” Such benefits include contributions of $1.7 trillion and more than 14 million jobs to the U.S. economy, the DMA stated in the testimony.