New government guidelines for
targeted
web advertising based on users' activities do not go far enough
to protect privacy, US privacy groups say.
The World Privacy Forum has accused the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) of ignoring requests to keep genetic and other highly
sensitive information private, according to US media reports.
The Center for Digital Democracy said the FTC had failed to
recognise that a vast
commercial surveillance system is at the core of most search
engines.
The new guidelines were drawn up to incorporate public comment
on a set of principles published in 2007.
But the revised guidelines do not require Google or Yahoo to
make any changes to their controversial behavioural targeting
advertising systems.
The guidelines require websites to disclose the data they are
collecting and allow users to opt out, provide reasonable security,
keep promises on data handling, and obtain consent for sensitive
data.
Privacy groups say that it is difficult for web users to keep
track of the hundreds of sites collecting personal information so
they can opt out of all these schemes.
In January, the
Internet Advertising
Bureau announced it was co-ordinating the
proposals to allow online organisations to self-regulate on
behaviour tracking.
Firms in the discussion include Google, Yahoo, BT's Revenue
Science, Phorm, BBC and Reuters.
BT was accused of invading people's privacy when it conducted
secret trials on an ad-serving technology from Phorm in 2006
and 2007.
Many privacy groups, including the UK's
Information
Commissioner's Office, want all behavioural advertising to be
by choice and not automatic, but advertisers fear this could
destroy their business model.