“U.S. regulators rejected an effort on Friday to force Google, Facebook and other popular web sites to honor ‘Do Not Track’ requests from users, in a setback for digital privacy advocate,” Dustin Volz reports for Reuters.
“The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) dismissed a petition that would have required Internet giants to let consumers opt out of having their online activity tracked,” Volz reports. “The decision secured a win for Silicon Valley businesses that rely on monetizing reams of personal data.”
“The FCC said it ‘has been unequivocal in declaring that it has no intent to regulate edge providers,’ or companies that provide content and services over the Internet,” Volz reports. “Digital privacy advocates argue consumers should be allowed to submit ‘Do Not Track’ requests to tell a website not to collect information about their online browsing habits.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Among the recommendations in the FTC’s 2010 preliminary staff report is a proposal that consumers be given a simple “Do Not Track” mechanism that would allow them to choose whether they want to allow websites to collect information about their Internet activity and use it to deliver targeted advertisements and for other purposes. The report recommends a mechanism that would be practical, and would probably involve the placement of a persistent setting, similar to a cookie, on the consumer’s browser signaling the consumer’s choices. Unlike the FTC’s Do Not Call Registry, which allows consumers to opt out of receiving most telemarketing calls, the Do Not Track mechanism would not require the government to compile a list of numbers. The Commission has not voted yet on whether to support this idea, and it is still considering public comments on the report.
More info: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/media-resources/protecting-consumer-privacy/do-not-track
[Attribution: NY Post. Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]