Chairman Rockefeller Backs FTC in Do-Not-Track Spat

Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) is coming to the Federal Trade Commission's defense in the wake of criticism from some advertisers and GOP lawmakers over the agency's efforts to ensure consumers have a robust "do-not-track" option.

In a letter set to be delivered to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Chairman Rockefeller urged the commission to continue to work with the World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C, on developing standards for a do-not-track option. Leibowitz has been a strong proponent of giving consumers a choice of whether they want to be tracked online. Most major Internet browsers now include a do-not-track option. The W3C, a group that sets technical standards for the Web, has convened a working group that includes privacy advocates, advertisers, Internet browser makers, and others aimed at developing voluntary standards for how websites should respond to consumers' do-not-track choices. The group is meeting in Amsterdam this week to continue its work despite disagreement between privacy advocates and advertisers on how to proceed.