FTC and NAI agree on privacy guidelines

August 10, 2000

The Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) has drafted guidelines for protecting consumer privacy on the Internet that apparently has the support of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). NAI's members consist of Doubleclick and several of its competitors which create consumer profiles based on individuals web surfing habits and interests. These profiles are created largely through the use of cookies and "web bugs" which are planted in banner ads. Users are not notified when data is being collected. Furthermore, the sites intentionally being visited by web-surfers generally disclaim any responsibility for data gathered by these companies, while allowing them to place banners with these programs on their sites. The policies being drafted would give consumers the right to opt out of the information gathering activity, though specifics on what this would entail are not fully available

Comment

The FTC has indicated its support for a proposal set forth by the Association of Hungry Foxes for maintaining chicken coop privacy. Is further analysis really necessary? If you are curious for more details on privacy issues, check out EPIC.