'New Benchmark' for Online Privacy

In Australia, digital audience measurement firm Effective Measure has announced plans to roll out a new visitor opt-out mechanism, which it says promises a 'new benchmark' in visitor privacy.

The initiative will comply with EU and US privacy principles, while enabling the millions of anonymous users the firm measures to permanently opt out of its research.

Effective Measure uses its patent-pending Digital Helix system to solve the issue of over-calculation of unique web site visitors caused by visitors deleting their cookies. A recent survey conducted by the firm showed that more than 60% of users delete these cookies at least monthly, leading some web sites to significantly overestimate their unique visitor figures.

'One of the real challenges with current online audience measurement opt-out mechanisms is that users who knowingly or unknowingly delete their cookies are subsequently opted back in and measured again,' Chief Privacy Officer Dr Roger Kermode explained. 'Effective Measure will allow anonymous users to permanently opt-out of being measured through our Digital Helix methodology.'

Scheduled for release later this month, the opt-out mechanism has been designed to enhance and extend the existing system currently available on the firm's web site.

'We know that our customers expect increased accuracy of online measurement information, but they also want assurances that we are focused on protecting the privacy of the anonymous users we are measuring on their behalf,' added CEO Scott Julian.

Web site: www.effectivemeasure.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

• Effective Measure
• All news