Websites urged to be transparent
Internet Marketing
10 January 2008
Websites which collect data on their visitors should make a clear statement so web users know about the practice, a US consumer agency has urged.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a series of principles, which it believes should govern the behavioural advertising industry.
The FTC acknowledged that consumers could benefit from free content, however it felt that "few appear to understand the role data collection plays".
Transparency and consumer control is the council's first principle and it asked for consumers to be given control of whether or not they have their data collected.
"Any company that collects or stores consumer data for behavioral advertising should provide reasonable security for that data and should retain data only as long as is necessary to fulfill a legitimate business or law enforcement need," said the FTC.
Advertisers are particularly fond of viral averts which are forwarded by one consumer to another, similar to word of mouth recommendations.
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