FTC Proposes New Online Advertising Privacy RuleFTC Staff Proposes Online Behavioral Advertising Privacy Principles

According the Federal Trade Commission’s website, “[t]o address important consumer privacy concerns associated with online behavioral advertising, the staff of the Federal Trade Commission today released a set of proposed principles to guide the development of self-regulation in this evolving area.”

The rule proposes that all online websites advise their visitor whether the site is monitoring their online behaviors for personalized ads. This could rule will have a impact on businesses, along with increasing liability for knowingly or unintentionally violating the rule.

The FTC is seeking comments from all interested parties on the proposed principles, including the costs and benefits of offering choice for behavioral advertising.

Comments should be sent by Friday, February 22, 2008, to: Secretary, Federal Trade Commission, Room H-135 (Annex N), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580, or BehavioralMarketingPrinciples@ftc.gov. The comments will be posted on the FTC’s behavioral advertising web page for possible use in the development of self-regulatory programs at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/ehavioral/index.shtml.

We, at McKee Law Office, are happy to assist your company in drafting your comment for or against the proposed regulation. We have helped give voices to many companies and organizations before regulatory agencies, such as the FTC. Call or email us today to discuss your action plan.