An update on Do Not Track - Kroes, European Commission

FanJ · Oct 11, 2012

Online privacy and online business: An update on Do Not Track

by Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda

The Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)/Brussels, 11 October 2012

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-12-716_en.htm

Just quoting one part, but the whole speech is worth reading.

First, how users are informed about default settings in their software and devices. That's a crucial aspect: is the default option to allow tracking, or to decline consent? The Commission services were very clear on this point in their letter to the W3C: at installation or first use, users must be informed about the importance of their DNT choice. They must be told about any default setting; and prompted to keep or to change it. Because without that, most users aren't making an informed choice.

Second, the DNT standard should not let websites "second-guess" or disregard user choices. Recently, there were reports about a popular web server introducing a feature that amounted to overriding the DNT signal; in effect, ignoring users' wishes. I find that troubling, and undesirable.

And third, what can be done without consent should be limited; and justifiable, in the light of the standard's overall aim. But the exceptions now on the table seem extremely broad. Jon Leibowitz, the FTC's Chairman, called them "a loophole you could drive a virtual truck through". And you can see why. Take the exception discussed for "market research". We need to be clearer, much clearer, about what that means, and how far it goes. Of course anonymisation, or privacy safeguards like retention limits, could mitigate here. But this cannot be an open-ended "get-out clause".
Click to expand...

For Dutch members there is an article in the newspaper "De Volkskrant" commenting on it:
http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2694...eren-internetprivacy-door-adverteerders.dhtml

Log in or Sign up

An update on Do Not Track - Kroes, European Commission

FanJ Updates Team

Log in or Sign up

An update on Do Not Track - Kroes, European Commission

FanJ Updates Team

Useful Searches