Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Transparency Needed for Web Tracking

Between the recent FTC hearing and the new advertising initiatives from Google and Faceboon there has been considerable discussion lately about how to implement behavioral advertising while also protecting consumer privacy.

Some have called for a national "do not track list," but I agree with attorney Christopher Wolf that it would be very difficult to make well known, implement, and even more difficult to enforce.

Behavioral marketing doesn't have to be evil -- but it does have to be more transparent. Here are the rules that would make it easier for consumers to protect themselves while still being able to participate in advertising that is targeted to them:

• As part of registering for a website, the user agreement includes in the first section a description of the tracking technology with an opt out and explanation of the duration of the tracking and how to remove any cookies.
• The behavioral tracking description should then be reinforced with a follow up email that also provides an opt out.
• Any changes to the behavioral tracking technology should be followed by an email explaining the changes.
• Every website that stores cookies or otherwise tracks should be required to put a link on their home page labeled "Privacy" that describes the tracking policy and provides an opt out.

Behavioral advertising benefits everyone as long as privacy is respected. Making the existing rules clear is what needed, not another layer of complexity.

Posted By John Gartner at 09:39 AM
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