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'Do Not Track' List Would Protect Consumers From Online Marketers

by Amar Toor on December 2, 2010 at 09:20 AM

protecting consumer privacy
The FTC's 'Do Not Call' registry already protects more than 190 million people from invasive telemarketers. Now, the federal commission is looking to expand that concept to the Internet, with a proposed 'Do Not Track' list, unveiled yesterday.

According to the AP, the new list would allow Web surfers to evade the radar of marketers who are trying to collect data on their online habits, and other personal information. If implemented, the tool would probably be available to users as a browser option, which would be applicable across all websites. Once activated, the feature would automatically block invasive advertisers, and inform them whenever a user's personal information is protected.

FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz first introduced the concept last summer, and says the list could be just one of many features allowing consumers to 'opt-out' of online behavioral advertising. Thus far, Leibowitz says, online marketers haven't done enough to inform consumers about the personal information they regularly gather. The proposed list was included as part of a larger FTC privacy report released on Wednesday, which establishes a general framework for protecting consumer privacy, online and off.

Ultimately, though, the FTC can only suggest new laws and regulations, meaning that it'll take congressional action to actually enact any of them. Still, the Do Not Track concept seems to have already garnered attention from Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush, who serves as the chairman of a consumer protection subcommittee in the House. Rush is scheduled to hold a hearing on the Do Not Track list today.

Tags: advertising, BehavioralAdvertising, DoNotCall, DoNotTrack, FederalTradeCommission, ftc, marketing, politics, privacy, TargetedAdvertising, tracking, Web

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