UK behavioural targeting industry should adopt US symbol

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 | By Suzanne Bearne

The ad industry in the US has joined forces to create a standard set of privacy icons to run in online ads. The symbol (right) will be used to notify users that a site or an ad network is using behavioural targeting.

It’s a move the online industry in the UK, especially the IAB’s Behavioural Targeting Council, should work together to replicate. In previous columns I’ve called for the group to go beyond a consumer-facing website. A consistent message and a recognisable symbol could help educate consumers, which is one of the key aims of the behavioural targeting industry.

As well as the symbol being used to inform people they’re being targeted, it goes further and enables the user to click the icon to find out who’s targeting them and to opt out.

For those concerned about behavioural targeting, this provides an easier way to end being tracked. As well as the educational benefits, such a move would be viewed favourably by regulators that want to clamp down on behavioural targeting. The move won’t stop all privacy fears but it should help reduce them.

While targeting quite rightly got bad press last week for showing a Marks & Spencer champagne ad on a pre-teen site (nma.co.uk 26 January 2010), such an initiative in the UK should at least put behavioural targeting back in a positive light.

Have your say

Please do not complete the following form field for security reasons.

Name

E-mail

Comment

Post as

Anonymously

Display name

I have read and agree to the terms and conditions