The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Developments in privacy law and writings of a Canadian privacy lawyer, containing information related to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (aka PIPEDA) and other Canadian and international laws.

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The author of this blog, David T.S. Fraser, is a Canadian privacy lawyer who practices with the firm of McInnes Cooper. He is the author of the Physicians' Privacy Manual. He has a national and international practice advising corporations and individuals on matters related to Canadian privacy laws.

For full contact information and a brief bio, please see David's profile.

Please note that I am only able to provide legal advice to clients. I am not able to provide free legal advice. Any unsolicited information sent to David Fraser cannot be considered to be solicitor-client privileged.

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The views expressed herein are solely the author's and should not be attributed to his employer or clients. Any postings on legal issues are provided as a public service, and do not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained herein or linked to. Nothing herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.

This web site is presented for informational purposes only. These materials do not constitute legal advice and do not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and David T.S. Fraser. If you are seeking specific advice related to Canadian privacy law or PIPEDA, contact the author, David T.S. Fraser.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Privacy advocates go after online ad networks

Two consumer and privacy advocacy groups have petitioned the US Federal Trade Commission to go after online advertising networks for using more sophisticated techniques to track consumers. From Earthweb:

Ad Networks Violating Privacy?:
Two consumer advocacy groups want the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate alleged unfair and deceptive practices by Internet advertising networks.
In a joint filing Wednesday, the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) claim current privacy disclosure statements are inadequate in light of increasingly sophisticated data-collection techniques.
'They [ad networks] are unleashing powerful new tools without the conscious awareness of consumers,' CDD Executive Director Jeff Chester told internetnews.com. 'There needs to be some meaningful consumer safeguards.'
While most companies and networks collect only non-personally identifiable information from users, the filing claims unprecedented amounts of data are being collected and associated with each unique visit to a Web site.
'Current privacy disclosure policies are totally inadequate, failing to effectively inform users how and what data are being collected and used,' the filing states.
Techniques cited in the filing include Web analytics, behavioral targeting, 'virtual reality' media, data mining and audience targeting and tracking.
Collectively, CDD and U.S. PIRG contend, the new techniques are creating a new online environment in which 'engagement gives way to entrapment' and 'personalization impinges on privacy.'

Labels: privacy