WASHINGTON — In an effort to ensure online privacy for consumers, major online advertisers have come together after more than a year to install “do not track” technology into Web browsers in compliance with new White House privacy guidelines.
The technology is one of several requirements included in the Obama administration’s “Privacy Bill of Rights” announced this month.
A “do not track” button allows users to opt out of having their Web history tracked by third parties, including advertising networks, analytics services and social platforms. These groups commonly use consumer data to craft customized ads and other offers related to employment, credit, health care and insurance.
However, the button will not put an end to all tracking. Advertisers will still be able to use online consumer information for market research and product development. In addition, all online data will still be available to law enforcement officials.
Loopholes will still exist for certain companies as well, according to Consumer Reports. Even if users click the “do not track” button, Google will be able track searches if conducted while users are signed into Google services, such as their Gmail account. The same is true for Facebook, which will be able to track logged-in users through the “Like” and “Share” buttons on outside pages.
“It’s a good start,” Christopher Calabrese, legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said of Obama’s privacy initiative in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “But we want you to be able to not be tracked at all if you so choose.”
Implementation of “do not track” is not new – several companies already offer the technology on their browsers, including Mozilla’s Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Apple has promised a version of the button in its next edition of Safari, according to The Washington Post. Google is expected to install the button on its Chrome browser by the end of this year.
Despite the option’s presence and calls to implement it by the Federal Trade Commission beginning in 2010, until recently all advertisers had not agreed to honor the system.
Now, 400 companies in the Digital Advertising Alliance have agreed to abide by the request from the White House, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal.
“Central to the value proposition of the Internet is trust,” said a representative for the group in a statement. “Consumers must trust that their personal data will be kept private and secure as they surf the Web aboard myriad devices seeking news, services and entertainment tailored to their very personal interests.”
“[This] marks not the end of a journey, but the beginning of an important collaboration among government, business, and consumer organizations to assure that the free Internet…can continue to flourish.”
Members of the Alliance will begin honoring the agreement within the next nine months.
The White House released its bill on Thursday, after the conclusion of a two-year study on the collection of consumer data online. The proposal outlines seven privacy guidelines pertaining to personal data: individual control, transparency, respect for context, security, access and accuracy, focused collection and accountability.
The framework would allow users more personal control over what information is collected about them and how it is used.
According to PC Magazine, even if the administration’s rules are not approved by Congress, the measures could still be put in place if a cohesive industry agreement is made.
