IAB leads ‘good practice' initiative for behavioural advertising
Share
UK-- The Internet Advertising Bureau and several online behavioural advertising firms – including Phorm and NebuAd – have clubbed together to create a set of self-regulatory guidelines for companies that collect and use data for targeted advertising purposes.
Called The Good Practice Principles, the guidelines “complement” existing data protection laws and have been introduced to “empower consumers and give them information and choices about behavioural advertising”.
All companies that sign up to the scheme have six months to comply with three core commitments: to inform consumers that data is being collected, gain consent and give users the choice to opt out and provide clear and simple information about how the data will be used.
During this initial six-month period, IAB said it will develop policies and procedures to manage compliance and handle complaints from consumers.
Nick Stringer, head of regulatory affairs at the IAB, said: “The online advertising industry is committed to protecting privacy and the IAB has a proven track record in self-regulation. The Good Practice Principles are a UK first, setting new standards in privacy and illustrating the proactive nature of the IAB.”
However, anti-behavioural advertising campaigner Alexander Hanff was not impressed with the initiative and was quick to outline his concerns in an open letter to Stringer.
He said: “The mention that an advertising platform must ‘inform a consumer before taking any data' is somewhat of an insult to the privacy rights of the individual - the law states that they must seek permission to take any data, not that they must ‘inform a consumer before taking any data'. The very wording of that statement seems to suggest that advertising corporations have a right to take the data, which clearly is not the case under law.”
Hanff said he would be contacting the EU Commission and relevant UK politicians and regulators to push the matter further.
Author: James Verrinder
Related links:
Crown Prosecution Service to review BT's Phorm trials
European Commission probes UK government over Phorm
BT threatened with legal action over online tracking
