Stricter rules for tracking advertising in the UK
The British online advertising trade association, the IAB, has established a set of quality standards for the industry regarding ad tracking. This is in response to growing criticism of this form of advertising, which is not without its issues regarding data protection.
The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), the British trade association for online advertising, has defined a series of guidelines for so-called tracking advertising. In doing so, the industry is focusing on self-regulation in an area of advertising that is becoming increasingly popular with advertisers, but which is causing increasing public controversy due to the violation of privacy. With tracking advertising or behavioral advertising, Internet companies such as Google or Yahoo track the surfing behavior of users, analyze their search queries and then place appropriate advertising.
The guidelines laid down by the IAB are primarily intended to limit the possibility of misuse of collected user data. In future, companies such as Phorm (manufacturer of an online tracking system), AOL, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo will have to inform users if they analyze their behaviour on the web for advertising purposes. Wherever possible, the express consent of users should be obtained before monitoring begins. Users must also have the option of opting out at any time.
This offensive by the industry is clearly an anticipatory and confidence-building measure. The quality standards for personalized online advertising are probably intended to take the wind out of the sails of public criticism of tracking advertising. The form of advertising was discussed very controversially in the USA in the middle of last year, for example. It is also an issue in Germany, where the trend is clearly towards more restrictive legislation.
The guidelines laid down by the IAB are primarily intended to limit the possibility of misuse of collected user data. In future, companies such as Phorm (manufacturer of an online tracking system), AOL, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo will have to inform users if they analyze their behaviour on the web for advertising purposes. Wherever possible, the express consent of users should be obtained before monitoring begins. Users must also have the option of opting out at any time.
This offensive by the industry is clearly an anticipatory and confidence-building measure. The quality standards for personalized online advertising are probably intended to take the wind out of the sails of public criticism of tracking advertising. The form of advertising was discussed very controversially in the USA in the middle of last year, for example. It is also an issue in Germany, where the trend is clearly towards more restrictive legislation.
