Boucher wants changes in online advertising
p2pnet news view Politics | Advertising:- A US House Judiciary subcommittee with jurisdiction over Internet practices hearing, “may well mark the start of congressional handwringing over how companies like Google and others are using geo-targeting, search histories, and other markers to serve up customized advertisements,” said TechPresident recently, going on:
“Critics (and some advocates) call it ‘behavioral advertising.’ And Congress’ interest is particularly relevant for us here because targeting Google advertisements based on what you’re searching for, the websites you visit, and where you’re surfing from is quickly becoming a standard political online practice.”
That was back in April and now the Associated Press is running an item explicating proposals for a bill mooted by Rick Boucher to define rules on targeted advertising
Boucher, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, had launched a session on deep packet inspection (DPI), “which is peeking into the contents of the chunks of information that flow across the Internet so that decisions can be made about how to route them or, in some cases, about how to customize the end users Internet experience based on what they do online and how they do it,” said the TechPresident post, going on »»»
Taking a look at the envelopes that Internet data travels in is widely accepted practice. Steaming them open to see what’s inside isn’t — yet.
That’s why Boucher called the hearing, to examine whether legislation is needing to stave off DPI misuses of DPI before they come into widespread use. He called that prospect “nothing short of frightening.”
He’s no net naive, says the story, “but the current fuzziness surrounding behavioral ads seem to make him uneasy”. As he said at the hearing, “a range of concerns related to online advertising should be vetted.”
He said he’d hold a follow-up session this summer, “in collaboration with the House Energy’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection,” that would focus on the privacy risks raised by behavioral advertising, said the story.
Boucher promised the result would be legislation aimed at “extending to Internet users [the] assurance that their online experience is more secure”.
Opting in
Now AP is running an item explicating Boucher’s proposals for a bill which would define rules on targeted advertising.
Web sites collecting data about visitors to target advertising on their own pages would have to “prominently disclose what information they gather” and describe in detail how it’s used, how long it’s retained and if it’s shared with third parties, it says. And users’ would be able to opt out of the process.
Sites sharing user information with outside advertising networks would have to ask users to “opt in,” says AP. But, it notes, “these sites could qualify for an opt-out requirement by meeting certain conditions. For instance, a site could let users review, modify and delete profiles created about them. Or it could ensure that ads contain links to inform users what information is being collected and provide a chance to opt out of targeted pitches.”
It adds, “Web sites that deal with sensitive personal information, such as medical and financial data, sexual orientation, Social Security numbers and other ID numbers, would be subject to the opt-in rule. So would sites that share consumer information with unaffiliated third parties for commercial purposes.”
Below is a July YouTube video featuring Boucher discussing behavioral advertising.
Stay tuned.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
TechPresident – Congress Targets “Behavioral Ads”, April 24, 2009
Associated Press – Privacy bill would set rules for online marketing, September 7, 2009
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Web sites collecting data about visitors to target advertising on their own pages would have to “prominently disclose what information they gather” and describe in detail how it’s used, how long it’s retained and if it’s shared with third parties, it says. And users’ would be able to opt out of the process.
Sites sharing user information with outside advertising networks would have to ask users to “opt in,” says AP. But, it otes, “these sites could qualify for an opt-out requirement by meeting certain conditions. For instance, a site could let users review, modify and delete profiles created about them. Or it could ensure that ads contain links to inform users what information is being collected and provide a chance to opt out of targeted pitches.”
It adds:
“Web sites that deal with sensitive personal information, such as medical and financial data, sexual orientation, Social Security numbers and other ID numbers, would be subject to the opt-in rule. So would sites that share consumer information with unaffiliated third parties for commercial purposes.”
Stay tuned.
