Do Not Track

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The future of the Do-Not-Track working group remains unclear, according to a recent survey taken among its participants. Forty-three of the 100 or so working-group participants submitted responses to the survey, which proposed five paths for the group moving forward.

According to the survey, 17 participants voted that they have “no confidence” in the group and that all work should be discontinued. Some of the comments described the proceeding as “so flawed [that] it’s a farce.” Others called the progress made to date, “shameful.” Other participants remained somewhat more hopeful; though, ideas on how to achieve a more meaningful Do-Not-Track standard varied. Twenty-six participants voted against continuing to stay on the current path and resolving the remaining open issues as outlined in the proposal. The remaining proposals, which garnered the most votes, recommended splitting up the working group’s focus on establishing a technical means for sending a Do-Not-Track signal and establishing compliance standards for when a company receives a signal.
Continue Reading Do-Not-Track Working Group: Survey Shows Dwindling Support

Earlier this week, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez spoke to members of the ad industry, urging them to provide “effective and meaningful privacy protection” to consumers with respect to online tracking. Chairwoman Ramirez’s position reportedly surprised, and even frustrated, some attendees by implying that the Digital Advertising Alliance’s self-regulatory program does not do enough in…

The issue of data collection is an important one in online privacy, particularly as it applies to ad networks. This issue is especially contentious in the context of Do Not Track mechanisms. A number of browsers – such as Safari, Internet Explorer, and Firefox – have mechanisms that permit consumers to instruct websites not to track their activities across the web. The FTC has said on numerous occasions, though, that an effective Do Not Track system should go beyond opting consumers out of receiving targeted advertisements; it should opt them out of the collection of behavioral data for all purposes, unless the purpose is consistent with the context of the interaction (e.g., to prevent click-fraud). Such sentiments were expressed in the FTC’s Privacy Report, as well as its testimony before Congress.
Continue Reading FTC Calling On Ad Networks to Limit and Justify Data Collection