FTC Bucks Advertisers, Supports "Do Not Track" Option for the Web

The Federal Trade Commission has officially endorsed a "Do Not Track" tool for the Web that would allow consumers to prevent advertisers from collecting their data and tracking their online habits. With the endorsement, the FTC bucked strong advertising forces and placed the burden of privacy protection squarely on the shoulders of marketers, not consumers. Still to be determined is if such a tool can succeed, and if it is what consumers really want and need.

The Federal Trade Commission has officially endorsed a “Do Not Track” tool for the Web that would allow consumers to prevent advertisers from collecting their data and tracking their online habits. With the endorsement, the FTC bucked strong advertising forces and placed the burden of privacy protection squarely on the shoulders of marketers, not consumers. Still to be determined is if such a tool can succeed, and if it is what consumers really want and need.

The option, included in the agency’s much-anticipated online

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