Home
TITLE:
Ensuring Internet Safety by Limiting Third Party Cookies
MAJOR AREAS TO BE AFFECTED:
Internet Page Providers and Behavioral Advertising Companies
JUSTIFICATION:
Most advertising companies use third-party cookies and web bugs in order to gain access to consumers’ preferences and thus place advertisements on web sites that would appeal to consumers of their products or services. By building these profiles of millions of consumers and unknowing web surfers, companies threaten the privacy of many. Many of these cookies can be stolen or hi-jacked by unauthorized parties who then have access to personal information as sensitive as usernames, passwords, credit
card information, or social security numbers.
The Federal Trade Commission has traditionally favored a notice-based policy where consumers would be informed about the practices of behavioral advertising but, with the increase of technologically advanced information collecting methods by advertisers, stronger restrictions must be pursued. Although companies are encouraged to self-regulate by the FTC, identities are stolen by the minute and government intervention is necessary.
PROPOSAL FOR ACTION :
Advertising companies, upon passage of this proposal, will
be forced to provide an opt-out option to consumers whereby behavioral advertising in the user’s browser would cease. This opt-out option would provide
consumers with clear notice of the company\'s data collection practices and
the option to opt-out of profiling that occurs across websites.
RESULTS TO BE EXPECTED :
The consumers will know exactly what a website does with their data, and by clicking yes on the opt out policy they are showing that they will be responsible because they exactly what they are clicking on. This proposal provides information to the consumer and provides more internet security so that it will be more difficult for third parties to steal valuable information from a consumer via a website. The number of cookie threats and the abuses by third party behavioral advertising agencies will go down with the passage of this proposal.
Ensuring Internet Safety by Limiting Third Party Cookies
MAJOR AREAS TO BE AFFECTED:
Internet Page Providers and Behavioral Advertising Companies
JUSTIFICATION:
Most advertising companies use third-party cookies and web bugs in order to gain access to consumers’ preferences and thus place advertisements on web sites that would appeal to consumers of their products or services. By building these profiles of millions of consumers and unknowing web surfers, companies threaten the privacy of many. Many of these cookies can be stolen or hi-jacked by unauthorized parties who then have access to personal information as sensitive as usernames, passwords, credit
card information, or social security numbers.
The Federal Trade Commission has traditionally favored a notice-based policy where consumers would be informed about the practices of behavioral advertising but, with the increase of technologically advanced information collecting methods by advertisers, stronger restrictions must be pursued. Although companies are encouraged to self-regulate by the FTC, identities are stolen by the minute and government intervention is necessary.
PROPOSAL FOR ACTION :
Advertising companies, upon passage of this proposal, will
be forced to provide an opt-out option to consumers whereby behavioral advertising in the user’s browser would cease. This opt-out option would provide
consumers with clear notice of the company\'s data collection practices and
the option to opt-out of profiling that occurs across websites.
RESULTS TO BE EXPECTED :
The consumers will know exactly what a website does with their data, and by clicking yes on the opt out policy they are showing that they will be responsible because they exactly what they are clicking on. This proposal provides information to the consumer and provides more internet security so that it will be more difficult for third parties to steal valuable information from a consumer via a website. The number of cookie threats and the abuses by third party behavioral advertising agencies will go down with the passage of this proposal.
