Ad Industry Urges Moderation in Online Marketing Curbs

A coalition of advertising industry groups cautioned the Federal Trade Commission on April 9 that pressing for too stringent industry self-regulation of behavioral advertising practices could backfire and ultimately harm consumers. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) filed comments jointly with nine other trade groups, responding to a FTC staff draft filed in December. Behavioral advertising collects information about past activities of individual consumers online to predict preferences that, in turn, leads to tailored marketing messages. The ANA coalition said that FTC’s proposal for restrictions does not strike a “balance” between interests of both industry and consumers. The ANA comments suggest that the FTC’s position on curbs for using non-identifiable information are too stringent and unnecessary since that info doesn't harm individual privacy. The ANA is also opposed to an FTC suggestion that consumers be allowed to opt-out of anonymous tracking.
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