Privacy Groups Mull 'Do Not Track' List for Internet

Technical Writing Geek writes with a Reuters story about a collection of privacy groups looking to set up a 'Do Not Track' list online, similar to the 'Do Not Call' list meant to dissuade telemarketing. "Computer users should be notified when their Web surfing is tracked by online advertisers and Web publishers, argue the Consumer Federation of America, the World Privacy Forum and the Center for Democracy and Technology, among other groups in a coalition promoting the idea. Rather than burying privacy policies in fine print, companies should also disclose them more fully and provide easier ways to opt out, the groups said. The organizations submitted the proposals to the Federal Trade Commission, ahead of the consumer watchdog agency's workshop on Nov. 1-2 to study the increasing use of tracking technology to target online ads.

Comments

Do not spam?

[ACS Solver]

So when will I be able to add my email to a "do not spam" list?

unrealistic goals

[User 956]

Rather than burying privacy policies in fine print, companies should also disclose them more fully and provide easier ways to opt out, the groups said.

Also, they want world peace, and a pony.

you still are using word "mull" in wrong contect

[unity100]

mull, from what i remember means scuttle, bar, make harder, oust. these people are not trying to prevent a do not track list, they are trying to establish one.

Re:you still are using word "mull" in wrong contec

[N3WBI3]

Unless of course they are using Mull as in Mull Over which means 'Reflect deeply on a subject'

Re:Anyone else see the problem here?

[walt-sjc]

I don't allow cookies. Your method won't work. How about a "X-I-want-to-be-tracked" cookie and a "X-my-SSN#-is" for the 3 idiots on the planet that WANT to be tracked?

Let me get this straight ...

[fayd]

They want to keep track of the people who don't want to be tracked ... *blink*

Don't forget to make list available to scammers!

[wsanders]

Well, out here at the Minsk Home for Deposed Nigerian Cabinet Ministers the first thing I must do is get hold of this list so I can stop scamming all you people.

Since most web usage is tracked anonymously it's much more likely that identifiable information will be hijacked from a copy of the the "no not track" list than from any of the web tracking itself. Seems like kind of a silly, tinfoil-hat-inspired idea!