Please, Please Be Proactive
Two leading advocacy groups filed a complaint today with the Federal Trade Commission in an attempt to force the FTC to take a "proactive stance." Joining the Center for Digital Democracy in the complaint is the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Those groups currently are pursuing an FTC complaint about behavioral targeting generally. They argue that marketers should not track people's Web-surfing activity for the purpose of compiling profiles about them without first obtaining their consent. The Federal Communications Commission already prohibits marketers from sending text message ads to consumers without their opt-in consent, but some other types of nascent mobile ads--such as wireless application protocol banners or search ads--are not similarly restricted. the Center for Digital Democracy hopes to influence policy now, while the mobile ad market is still in its infancy. Specifically, its complaint calls on the FTC to create a task force that will include consumer representatives and industry leaders to craft a marketing regime that gives priority to privacy. Although, to me, this is just an empty gesture to get attention, it reinforces once again the nervousness regarding behavioral advertising.
