Privacy is a popular topic today – the online advertising debate of privacy versus functionality is a big conversation in the media. Too often privacy is viewed at odds with the goals of industry, but we think that’s the easy way out. We believe that with a little thought, it’s possible to have both privacy and functionality.
Below is a collection of articles that capture the essence of the online advertising privacy debate. You’ll find articles that are on both sides of the conversation, but you’ll also find discussion on how to balance the needs of privacy and industry. Enjoy!
BBC – July 7, 2011 By any yardstick the implementation of the EU’s Privacy and Communications Directive by its member states has been poor.
This is the “cookie law” that governs what information a web site can collect on its visitors without explicitly asking them if it’s OK.
The Daily Online Examiner – June 22, 2011 A new report about privacy by Havas Digital makes the extraordinary claim that behavioral targeting could risk going the same way as adware if the industry doesn’t adequately address concerns surrounding data collection. “If history is any indication, the industry, specifically in relation to OBA [online behavioral advertising], risks a fate similar to that of Gator Corp,” warns “Navigating Online Consumer Privacy,” written in partnership with Evidon, which provides monitoring technology to enforce the industry’s self-regulatory program.
The New York Times – December 1, 2010 Signaling a sea change in the debate over Internet privacy, the government’s top consumer protection agency on Wednesday advocated a plan that would let consumers choose whether they want their Internet browsing and buying habits monitored.
Saying that online companies have failed to protect the privacy of Internet users, the Federal Trade Commission recommended a broad framework for commercial use of Web consumer data, including a simple and universal “do not track” mechanism that would essentially give consumers the type of control they gained over marketers with the national “do not call” registry.
Businessweek – December 1, 2010 The U.S. Federal Trade Commission called for a do-not-track option for online browsing and pressed advertisers to make their data practices clearer for consumers, in staff recommendations on privacy.
The report released today, which the agency has been preparing for the past year, is aimed at providing a framework for improving privacy as consumers shop and communicate using the Internet. Data are sometimes collected online “in an irresponsible or even reckless manner,” according to the report.
The Daily Online Examiner – November 22, 2010 Online privacy will be the subject of two separate upcoming governmental reports — which is one too many, some advocates say.
The World Privacy Forum says that one of the agencies about to issue a report, the Department of Commerce, shouldn’t play a leadership role in shaping online privacy policy because that agency is seen as pro-business. Instead, the World Privacy Forum (and some other advocates) argue that the Federal Trade Commission should take the lead on Internet privacy. Just today, the World Privacy Forum issued a paper questioning Commerce’s track record on privacy issues.
