Who Owns Your Web History? March 17, 2008
Posted by khengze in News, Trends.trackback
Who owns your Web history and surfing data? Sir Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the Web thinks consumers need to be protected against systems which can track their activity on the Web. He told BBC News he would change his internet provider if it introduced such a system. More >
Plans by leading internet providers to use Phorm, a company which tracks web activity to create personalised adverts, have sparked controversy. Many people argue that the firm’s Webwise technology breaches customer’s privacy.
Personalised advertising is expected to be big business with Google, Yahoo and Microsoft all purchasing online ad firms. Privacy advocates and consumer bodies have called for an opt-out list for Web users who do not want to be tracked by advertisers. This list would prevent companies from tailoring adverts based on a user’s web habits.
The groups behind the idea include the Center for Democracy and Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Consumer Federation of America. They have approached the Federal Trade Commission to create the list.
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