Trade body the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has said it
will create an icon that would alert UK web users every time their
web surfing is used to decide what adverts they see. Current IAB
guidelines say that giving notice of behavioural tracking is
optional.
Behavioural advertising is the use of cookies to track web users
from site to site. Their browsing history is then used to display
adverts which companies believe will be appropriate for them.
Someone looking at a shoe shopping site then reading an online
newspaper, for example, might be shown ads for shoes at the
newspaper site.
Web users are rarely aware that they are being tracked, though,
and
84% of them (27-page PDF) recently said that they
objected to the activity.
Consumer protection regulator the Office of Fair Trading (OFT)
launched an investigation last October into whether or not
behavioural advertising breaches consumer protection laws, and a
group of MPs and Lords has called for the law to change to make it
illegal to engage in behavioural advertising without web users'
consent.
A group of trade bodies in the US has launched a graphic that
will indicate that behavioural targeting has taken place and that
the advertiser adheres to a set of industry-set self-regulatory
rules. That group of bodies includes the American Association of
Advertising Agencies (4As), Association of National Advertisers
(ANA), Direct Marketing Association (DMA), the Council for Better
Business Bureaus (BBB), and the Interactive Advertising Bureau
(IAB).
The IAB in the UK said that it is also working on a similar
scheme. IAB UK's head of regulatory affairs Nick Stringer said that
it would not be a part of the current US plan but is working on
rolling out a global icon.
"The IAB welcomes the [US] icon as a way of offering
internet users greater transparency and choice over data collection
and use in providing more relevant advertising," he said. "We are
working towards a global icon and believe this is in the best
interests of internet users."
"The icon is currently a US initiative for the US market. The
IAB will be working with our US members and with European
colleagues to move towards a consistent icon for the UK and EU
market," he said.
Current IAB policy is that the labelling of ads should be
optional. Its guidance on behavioural advertising says that
"[organisations] may provide a link alongside advertisements served
to contracted partners or on their own site to information about
the collection and use of data to provide OBA [online behavioural
advertising] and how to decline OBA".
The US scheme is based on research conducted by Washington
privacy think tank the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) which found
that certain phrases were effective in attracting users' attention
to behavioual ad notices.
"The two phrases that performed significantly better than others
in the 2600 internet user panel were, 'Why did I get this
ad?' and 'Interest based ads'. 'AdChoice', a
phrase which is currently being used by eBay in its notice program,
was a favourite of earlier focus group participants, particularly
with less experienced internet users," said a
blog posting about its results from the FPF. "Overall
the notices research showed which phrases and icons were more
effective than others, but it also indicated that an educational
effort will be necessary to fully ensure that users comprehend
behavioral advertising practices."
The announcement of the scheme said that those words would be
associated with the graphic.
"Participating companies will use this wording and link/icon
when engaged in online behavioural advertising to indicate their
adherence to the [self-regulatory] principles and as the link that
provides consumers with easily accessible disclosures about data
collection and use practices associated with online behavioural
advertising," it said.
Editor's note 04/02/2010: Nick Stringer has
been in touch to say that we misinterpreted his comments, which we
received by email. We understood that the IAB would be developing
something different in the UK and across the EU. This is not the
case, he says. "We think this would be counterproductive,"
writes Nick. "As I say, we’ll be working with US members (who have
been involved in developing the icon in the US) and with EU
colleagues to rollout a consistent and global icon." We apologise
for the misinterpretation.
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