Online self-regulation 'not enough'

Civil liberties group Big Brother Watch has called into question whether self-regulation can deliver privacy for Internet users following the launch of a consumer education drive for behavourial ads in the US.
The new ‘Your AdChoices’ campaign is the brainchild of the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), which comprises four marketing bodies in the US, including the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the US DMA.
It consists of banner ads designed to drive users towards “educational videos” and controls over how ads are personalised to them, although it stops short of addressing privacy concerns over how consumer data is collected and used.
Last week, the US Internet Advertising Bureau called for all online ads to carry the behavioural ad icon.
But, although Big Brother Watch director of privacy Nick Pickles admitted the US push was a positive step, he added: “Internet users need to be confident that if the law is not being adhered to, there is a proper regulator who can take up their complaint and deliver an effective remedy.
“For web users, it is far from the case that they have such a regulator to protect their interests. Consumers still remain largely in the dark about just how much information is being collected about them online for advertising purposes, not just in browsing habits but also social networking and email scanning,” Pickles said.