FTC gives groups time on Do Not Track

The Federal Trade Commission supports attempts by Web browsing companies, advertisers and privacy groups to develop industry standards on Do Not Track technology and wants to see ongoing talks play out before backing a legislative solution. At the same time, the FTC isn’t taking a position on a fight between stakeholders about whether to make DNT a default setting in Web browsers, even as Microsoft butted heads with Yahoo last month over its announcement that it would turn on those signals by default in the next version of Internet Explorer.

The officials said during a meeting Nov 2 that they’re trying to support consumer privacy by stepping in when they think companies have gone over the line and promoting values like transparency and choice across the online ecosystem. That includes the agency’s work with Internet stakeholders to design a system whereby consumers have a choice about where their data goes, although that has been a “two steps forward, one step back” process, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said. Discussions among World Wide Web Consortium members about Do Not Track standards seem to be moving forward, the officials said, and the FTC wants to nurture that process.