Privacy advocates call for do-not-track list

Consumer-privacy advocates are holding a press conference tomorrow, just two days before the Federal Trade Commission holds a workshop dedicated to ad targeting and Internet privacy.

by Helen Leggatt

Organizations such as the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) will be involved in tomorrow’s press conference, reports AdAge.com, discussing a topic that isn’t going away any time soon - targeted advertising and online privacy.

Behavioral targeting, which allows advertisers to tailor advertising to an Internet user’s preferences, enhancing that user’s online experience, is a double edged sword. While many consumers are happy to use ad-supported services and websites, many aren’t seeing the big picture - that they are paying for their usage in personal data.

The EFF, and others, are expected to call for the creation of a national online equivalent of the “Do Not Call” list in the U.S., or the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) in the U.K. Internet users would be given the option to opt-out of being tracked.

Perhaps the first step should be to educate Internet users, although this could cause panic in the ranks. Recent reports suggest that most don’t have a clue what data is being stored while many assume “privacy policies” keep their personal information from being tracked.

The blue touchpaper may well be lit after the FTC’s upcoming workshop during which, it is thought, data-gathering bombshells will be dropped that will make the public sit up and take note.

Tags: behavioral advertising, behavioral targeting, data gathering, privacy, tracking