[LINK] RFI: Intrusive Internet Mechanisms
stephen at melbpc.org.au
stephen at melbpc.org.au
Thu Dec 2 18:36:12 AEDT 2010
> .,. likely decide to apply deny write access to higher level directories
F.T.C. Backs Plan to Honor Privacy of Online Users
By EDWARD WYATT & TANZINA VEGA www.nytimes.com Published: December 1, 2010
WASHINGTON Signaling a sea change in the debate over Internet privacy,
the governments 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.
Those measures, if widely used, could directly affect the billions of
dollars in business done by online advertising companies and by
technology giants like Google that collect highly focused information
about consumers that can be used to deliver personalized advertising to
them.
While the report is critical of many current industry practices, the
commission will probably need the help of Congress to enact some of its
recommendations.
For now the trade commission <www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/12/privacyreport.shtm>
hopes to adopt an approach that it calls privacy by design, where
companies are required to build protections into their everyday business
practices.
Despite some good actors, self-regulation of privacy has not worked
adequately and is not working adequately for American consumers, Jon
Leibowitz, the chairman of the trade commission, said. Wed like to see
companies work a lot faster to make consumer choice easier.
Many of the problems the F.T.C. is trying to tackle involve third parties
that use technology to surreptitiously follow a user around the Web,
collecting data and then selling it, usually without the users
knowledge.
Our main concern, Mr. Leibowitz said, is the sites and services that
are connecting the dots between different times and places that a
consumer is online and building a profile of what a consumer is doing.
The recommendations, which were contained in a 79-page report, were
cautiously received by browser makers including Google, Mozilla and
Microsoft, who said they would examine the report and provide feedback to
the commission.
Mike Zaneis, the senior vice president and general counsel of the
Interactive Advertising Bureau, said the industry generally supported the
concepts proposed but opposed some of the strict measures preferred by
consumer advocates.
The online advertising industry, Mr. Zaneis said, would
suffer significant economic harm if the government controlled the do-
not-track mechanism and there was a high participation rate similar to
that of do not call. Mr. Zaneis said the industry would continue to
build upon a self-regulatory framework and had recently put in place the
use of icons on select online advertisements that allow users to opt out
of customized advertising.
If your goal is to have a red flashing icon that says, Click here to
opt out of targeting, and to incentivize people to opt out, then we
dont share that goal, Mr. Zaneis said.
Currently, millions of Internet users who want to opt out of behavioral
tracking have to navigate their browser privacy controls, download plug-
ins or opt out by clicking on an icon near an ad that is part of the
industry self-regulatory program.
The report recommends that companies adopt simpler, more transparent and
streamlined ways of presenting consumers with their options rather than
the long, incomprehensible privacy policies that consumers typically do
not read, let alone understand. And the report recommends that data
brokers give consumers reasonable access to any data they have
collected.
Mr. Leibowitz said the commissions report was not a call for legislation
but a guide to lawmakers and regulators.
Most of us on the commission believe it is time for a do not track
mechanism, Mr. Leibowitz said. But at least one commissioner refused to
support the issuance of a report that included requiring the mechanism.
In addition, David C. Vladeck, director of the commissions consumer
protection bureau, said Wednesday at a conference sponsored by Consumer
Watchdog, I do not think that under the F.T.C.s existing authority we
could mandate unilaterally a system of do not track.
The F.T.C. report asks for the public and industry to comment on its
recommendations and to make other suggestions over the next two months.
On Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer
Protection will hold a hearing to examine the feasibility of a simple
method of opting out of online tracking.
If Congress were to mandate a do not track feature, it could upend the
business models of some advertising agencies and companies who gather
consumer data and build profiles of Internet users. But it would not
prevent basic targeted advertising, where an individual site serves up
ads related to a search terms.
Marc Rotenberg, the executive director for the Electronic Privacy
Information Center, said the proposal of a do not track mechanism was
an important step but not the end of the conversation.
Theres a growing sense that the online ad industry is out of control
from a privacy perspective and that some rules need to be put in place,
said Mr. Rotenberg, whose organization has not decided whether to support
the do not track proposal. I dont think were at the point yet where
we can say do not track is the silver bullet when it comes to online
advertising.
The makers of the most widely used Web browsers said Wednesday that they
supported consumer privacy and had already made efforts to protect it as
part of their products.
In a statement, Google said, We agree with the F.T.C. that people should
be able to understand what information they share and how its used.
Thats why we simplified our privacy policies earlier this year, offer
control through our privacy tools, and explain our approach to privacy in
plain language and through YouTube videos in our privacy center.
Harvey Anderson, general counsel for Mozilla, stated in a blog
post: While well need more time to digest and evaluate the details,
were encouraged by what weve seen so far. In particular, the F.T.C. has
proposed a set of principles that align well with the Mozilla manifesto
and our approach to software development.
Apple, which makes the Safari browser, declined comment. In a statement,
Microsoft said that the latest version of its browser, Internet Explorer
8, has some of the most robust privacy features on the market,
including features it calls InPrivate Browsing and InPrivate Filtering,
which allow a user to browse the Web without being tracked.
But those types of features also illustrate some of the shortcomings that
the F.T.C. found in current industry efforts. The Microsoft browser
requires a user to set those enhanced privacy controls at the start of
every new browsing session.
Chris Soghoian, a privacy and security researcher, said using privacy
options in most Internet browsers doesnt do much.
At the Consumer Watchdog conference, Mr. Soghoian said that because many
of the companies that make Web browsers are also supported by advertising
networks, the design decisions are motivated by a desire not to hurt
their advertising divisions.
The situation right now is laughable, he added. There certainly isnt
a single one-stop shop.
--
Cheers,
Stephen
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