Online Privacy Gets a Boost

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “FTC Backs Plan to Honor Privacy of Online Users,” describes a great plan for online consumers in which the government would maintain a “do not track” list in the same way it currently uses the do-not-call registry to shield people from telemarketing calls.

In fact, the current problem of online advertising is even worse than telemarketing because much of the research of buying habits occurs surreptitiously without the consumer’s knowledge, and sophisticated profiles are created based on a person’s online behavior over many years. The current system of industry “self-regulation” has clearly not worked.

The recommendations were contained in a 79-page report, and browser-makers, including Google and Internet Explorer, reacted “cautiously.” Internet Explorer claimed that its features, such as InPrivate Browsing and InPrivate Filtering, accomplished the same effect, but they have to be reactivated at the beginning of each browsing session.

Whether Congress has the capacity to enact anything like a “do not track” option similar to the do not call registry, especially given the current paralysis, remains very much in doubt. The Republicans, due to their coziness with all sorts of business interests, are unlikely to allow much-needed regulation of this industry at a time when they are resisting common-sense measures for all sorts of initiatives.