Time is running out on Internet companies on online tracking issue

[Commentary] Privacy groups and some members of Congress are up in arms, and rightfully so, over a new study revealing that many online advertising companies continue to follow people's Web activity, even after users believe they have opted out of tracking.

Consumers have legitimate worries about the information that's being collected and used online. It's time for the Internet industry to come to a collective agreement about the privacy protections it will guarantee. Six months ago we warned that if innovators did not find a way to police online tracking, Congress would feel compelled to regulate the industry. Washington does not have a good track record when it comes to imposing rules on technology; too often it has either slowed Silicon Valley innovation or done significant damage to tech firms' bottom line. But there is little confidence the industry will do the right thing, either. The Do Not Call registry, enacted in 2005, shows that Congress can act when consumers' privacy is in jeopardy. The Internet industry must move quickly to assure lawmakers and the public that it is capable of responding to these legitimate consumer concerns.