EU, IAB and Others At Work on Ad Targeting Framework

The IAB and other digital and ad industry bodies are working with the EU Commission to develop a pan-European self-regulatory framework for behavioural targeting of ads, following a meeting last week over the future of the practice.

The framework will build on the IAB's Good Practice Principles and use the Your Online Choices web site (www.youronlinechoices.com ) to promote transparency in data collection along with consumers' privacy options. It may take a similar direction to moves in the US, where an icon on online ads tells users why they're seeing them and how to opt out, under the CLEAR specifications released by the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and partner the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI).

In Europe, the IAB is working with the EU, the ISBA and the World Federation of Advertisers to develop an EU-level consumer education programme and self-regulation framework, with discussions now at a 'pivotal and critical point', according to IAB head of regulatory affairs Nick Stringer.

According to Stringer, 'A pan-European website will be a starting point, giving more consumer control. Your Online Choices will play an important role in letting consumers see where and why they get a cookie. We're trying to get more companies to participate and sign up to the Good Practice Principles.'

EU data protection regulators are reportedly arguing that current cookie usage does not meet the requirements of the ePrivacy directive due to come into force next year - this calls for 'informed consent' which means browsers set by default to reject cookies and users needing to go into the settings and change the selection in order to accept them.

According to Stringer, a global policy is the ultimate aim. 'It would make sense to join up. All around the world there are issues with policymakers and their concerns with consumers and the practice of behavioural targeting, and that's what we'll address.' Meanwhile ISBA Chair Alex Tait says research underlines the importance of continuing to make the case for behaviourally targeted advertising and its very real benefits: 'Each consumer should be armed with enough information to be able to decide for themselves whether the personalised shopping experience provided by behavioural targeting outweighs any perceived loss of privacy'.

In the US, the IAB is running a campaign, 'Privacy Matters', to educate consumers about online privacy, throughout 2010. The campaign (see picture) is at www.iab.net/privacymatters , a site holding in-depth information, resources and tools designed to help consumers protect their online privacy and discuss their concerns. As of two months ago, the association is also campaigning in Congress to express the industry's reservations about legislative proposals which it says 'jeopardize the Internet and ...interactive advertising'.

Web sites: www.iab.net and www.europa.eu/index_en.htm . For the latest news and jobs in the area of behavioural ad targeting, and features including an article arguing the case for it by Nick Stringer, see the relevant MRT section .

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