Most consumers are completely clueless about their online privacy. For example, ISPs have quietly been selling your browsing data without your consent for years without anybody bothering to notice. Even during the recent stink over behavioral advertising -- which most consumers also know nothing about -- people remained oblivious to clickstream sales. Your data sold entirely without your consent or knowledge. No problem?

As with most things, a consumer's tendency to be annoyed is directly proportional to how informed they are. Not too surprisingly, a new study from the Universities of Pennsylvania and California, Berkeley finds that once consumers are educated on the width and depth of today's online privacy practices, they overwhelmingly oppose this kind of tracking. From the new survey, one of the first done via the phone by someone other than a corporation:Of course this deflates the claims of ISPs and marketers, who continually insist that consumers are just itching for the kind of tailored advertising provided by tracking your online usage. Worse perhaps for carriers is the study's finding that the vast majority of consumers support a slate of new privacy laws -- including laws that would force ISPs and marketers to delete consumer info if requested, laws that would give consumers the right to know everything a website knows about them, and laws requiring immediate deletion of web browsing activity.

As usual carriers, marketers and lobbyists are way out ahead of this belated privacy awakening by consumers and legislators, given it could cost them billions. Companies have been working overtime in DC trying to convince lawmakers than privacy laws aren't necessary because the industry can police itself for wrong doing. Verizon, for instance, insists that no consumer privacy protections are necessary because public shame will keep Verizon honest.

Consumers -- at least the informed ones -- apparently think otherwise.