'Do not track' law needed for consumers, says Chairman Rockefeller

Consumers need legislation to protect them from online tracking, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said after an online ad group announced it was withdrawing from do not track talks at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Earlier this year, Chairman Rockefeller introduced a "do not track" bill that would allow consumers to opt-out of online tracking. “Legislation is the only way to give consumers more control over their personal information” when it comes to online tracking, he said. “When the online advertising industry has no incentive to provide consumers with strong privacy protections, this is the result,” he said in a statement, referring to the advertising representatives walking away from the talks. Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said that she is frustrated with an online advertising group’s decision to withdraw.