Ad Group Unveils Plan to Improve Web Privacy

As the debate around online privacy and advertiser access to users' data continues, a group of the advertising industry's largest trade organizations was to announce on Oct 4 the details of a self-regulatory program that would allow users to opt out of being tracked by its member organizations.

The program provides details on how companies can adopt some of the principles for conducting online behavioral advertising outlined in a report released last July. The program includes the use of an icon called the "Advertising Option Icon" that marketers can place near their ads or on the Web pages that collect data that is used for behavioral targeting. Users who click on the icon, a lower case letter "I" inside a triangle that is pointing right, will see an explanation of why they are seeing a particular ad and will be able to opt out of being tracked. Some companies may still serve less focused ads after a user opts out, while others may stop showing ads to that user altogether. But representatives for the trade organizations said the steps were not an indication that the privacy debate had ended.