Web Tracking Opt-Out Plan Gets Panned

An online advertisers trade group has proposed guidelines for targeted advertising that don’t satisfy recent FTC recommendations. The Interactive Advertising Bureau proposal would make it harder for consumers to know if a website was storing their information; FTC guidelines suggest a “clear, consumer-friendly, and prominent statement” and easy opting-out process on websites that plan to collect data for targeted ads.

The trade group prefers to link to privacy policies elsewhere on the site, CNET reports. “We believe the FTC is too rigid on the matters of notice and choice,” said organization's chief. The Electronic Privacy Information Center director's response: “There may be a weaker set of privacy guidelines out there somewhere, but I haven't seen them.” (More online advertising stories.)