India Internet News
Google, Microsoft, Apple Warned For Internet Privacy Control
28 July 2011
Google, Microsoft, Apple and other technology industries received a warning from the US government that they must provide users a method to prevent ads from tracing their navigations across the web, otherwise they will have to face legal laws.
So far with all its creative know-how and adventurous spirit, the technology industry has still to approve on an easy, meaningful answer to protect user privacy over Internet.
Thus privacy defender and legislator are moving up the pressure, urging for laws which require industries to stop the digital surveillance of users who don't want to be traced. They dispute that efficient privacy utilities are long overdue from an industry that particularly moves at dangerous speed.
Senate Commerce Committee head John D Rockefeller says, "I want ordinary consumers to know what is being done with their personal information, and I want to give them the power to do something about it."
Washington's summon to arms is a reply to increasing worry that aggressive Internet marketing practices are destroying online privacy as each user move is noticed, examined and gathered for profit.
Online publishers, advertisers and ad networks utilizes "cookies," Web lighthouse and other sophisticated tracking utilities to trace users across the Internet, tracking what sites they see and what links they click, what they search for and what they purchase. Then they dig that details to show what they expect will be appropriate pitches, a technique called behavioral advertising.
The legislature of American Civil Liberties Union Christopher Calabrese said, "Right now we have a lawful system for tracking all of our movements online. And not only is it legal. It's the business model."
The summon for online privacy protections started by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), who has disputed the industry to provide a digital tracking off switch. The FTC foresees something similar to the government's current "Do Not Call" registry for telemarketers. Users who don't require to get telemarketing calls can include their numbers to the list online or on the phone.
Industries such as Microsoft and Mozilla have replied with several "Do Not Track" technologies. However, the industry-wide solution is not near at hand. The
challenge is in getting industry agreement on what Do Not Track liabilities should mean, designing normal technology utilities that are simple to use for users and placing normal rules that all websites and advertisers will follow.
One grand part of the issue is that the company have to look for a path to provide users stay intrusive online marketing practice.