Ateya Qureshi

Privacy Dilemmas: To Track or Not to Track

December 10th, 2010 by Ateya Qureshi

That is not even a question! As far as online advertising is concerned, tracking is essential. However, the limits of tracking are yet to be defined. As much as advertisers would love to know anything and everything about their targeted audience, the end users’ concern of privacy stands legitimate. FTC endorses the do-not-track option for internet users – not to completely terminate the idea of tracking, but to the extent of having some regulations.

Online privacy - does it exist? Should it exist? (Source: ars technica)

“There are no limits to what types of information can be collected, how long it can be retained, with whom it can be shared and how it can be used,” said Susan Grant, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America. “Consumers simply have no legal control over being spied on when they go online.”

Online tracking is legal and companies currently aren’t bound by government rules to show people what they know about them. Advertisers argue in their favor that if a broad number of people sign up for “Do Not Track” option, it will undercut the effectiveness of the Internet model and online advertising.

84% of consumers prefer not to be tracked (Source: BestTechie)

A poll done this summer for Consumer Watchdog, a California public interest group, found that 84% of respondents wanted to prevent online companies from tracking personal information without a person’s explicit, written approval. Media experts argue that consumers don’t realize that tracking improves their Internet experience by offering the stories they like or keeping track of their saved information so they don’t have to re-enter it every time they shop online. They claim that these benefits are taken for granted.

Responding to the consumers’ desire for privacy, Microsoft is adding Tracking Protection to Explorer 9. Previously, a handful of Internet and tracking firms, including Google, Yahoo, BlueKai, Lotame and eXelate, made such information available on their own sites. However, few consumers were aware.

Microsoft claims its coming tool is potentially more powerful than a do-not-track system that relies on companies to comply with the user’s request. Users will be able to subscribe to lists of the web addresses used by tracking companies. Internet Explorer would then automatically block those companies from the user’s computer. Tracking Protection will block the tracking completely and instantly.

Randall Rothenberg, Chief Executive of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, is concerned that the new blocking features in browsers will also block the advertising that supports free content on the Internet and as a side effect may also block news, entertainment, and social media as well.

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