The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday unveiled an online privacy proposal that includes a "do not track" suggestion for browsers that would prevent them from collecting a Web user's online history.
The "do not track" option would be similar to the agency's "do not call" list. Just like a consumer can choose not to receive calls from telemarketers, they could choose not to be tracked on the Web. As a result, their Web-surfing history would not be sent to third-party sites and their activity would not be used to serve up targeted advertisements, among other things.
At this point, the proposal is just a suggestion. The FTC is asking stakeholders to comment on this and other facets of the plan by January, and the agency will release a final proposal sometime next year.
In a Wednesday Blog Post, Microsoft pointed to the InPrivate Browsing option introduced with Internet Explorer 8, which allows users to surf without being tracked. Google Chrome also has its Incognito private browsing mode, while Firefox has Private Browsing. Representatives from Google and Mozilla said they would have statements on the proposal shortly. The FTC also called out Adobe because the cookies gathered by Flash are apparently collected regardless of the browser's settings.
'Do not track' is just one component of a plan that "proposes a new framework for consumer privacy. The FTC wants to ensure that the growing, changing, thriving information marketplace is built on a framework that promotes privacy, transparency, business innovation, and consumer choice.
As a result, the FTC on Tuesday Announced A Settlement with EchoMetrix whereby the company will no longer use or share the information it gathered via Sentry.
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