What do websites need to do under the new self-regulatory guidelines?
The self-regulatory principles were adopted in July 2009 by five major industry groups, including the Better Business Bureau, the Direct Marketing Association and the Interactive Advertising Bureau. The principles call for “enhanced disclosure” of behavioral or interest-based ad targeting. To meet the disclosure requirements, a link to company-specific information about privacy practices must be placed on webpages where user information is collected or used, or placed within or near the advertisements themselves. Although advertisers are also responsible for placing notice in behaviorally targeted ads, most websites allow data collection outside of ads as well. In that case website must provide disclosure on each page where this occurs. PrivacyChoice powers a free tool for websites to make this easier. The summary of the principles provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau includes the following provisions most relevant to websites: – The Transparency Principle calls for clearer and
