Interactive Advertising Bureau's Board of Directors Adopts Privacy Guidelines for Interactive Advertising
Standards Define Privacy and Security Practices Across the
Industry, Ensuring Consumer Control and Continued Delivery of Relevant
Communications
PHOENIX--(Business Wire)--
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the
release of new interactive advertising privacy guidelines that are
designed to ensure users' control over the use of personal information
by interactive media and advertisers while at the same time
guaranteeing continued improvement in the delivery of relevant
marketing communications to consumers. The guidelines were approved by
the IAB's Board of Directors today at the start of "Ecosystem
2.0--Driving Growth in Digital Marketing," the organization's annual
meeting, taking place in Phoenix, Arizona, February 24-26.
The privacy principles are high level concepts of consumer notice,
choice and data security which will serve as a roadmap for all
industry actors who collect and/or use data to deliver relevant ads
online or via other platforms. The guidelines were developed over many
months with the IAB Policy Development Task Force and Policy Council
and will be submitted to the Federal Trade Commission before the end
of February.
"Consumers enjoy cost-free online content; competitive pricing and
product comparisons; education and information gathering tools;
communications, such as free email and telephone services; social
networking environments and online safety tools all because of online
advertising," said Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the IAB.
"Research shows consumers value free Internet services highly and
prefer advertising that is relevant to their interests, but want
guarantees that their personally identifiable information won't be
misused."
Rothenberg added that the IAB guidelines are more flexible than
those suggested by the Federal Trade Commission in late 2007. "IAB
members understand the relationship between consumers and companies is
built on trust. As a result, IAB members have long been committed to
guarding consumers' information and privacy. Based on the industry's
experience, we believe the FTC is too rigid on the matters of notice
and choice. Our principles strike the appropriate balance between
protecting consumers' security and allowing industry to provide the
free services and content they desire."
"IAB's principles are an important first step in the creation of
stronger industry self regulatory programs," said Dave Morgan,
Executive Vice President, Global Advertising Strategy of AOL and
Co-Chair of the Task Force that developed the principles. "We believe
that all existing and future types of interactive advertising should
fit within these criteria and we will move swiftly towards
promulgating more granular best practices based on this document."
IAB said its members will follow five basic privacy principles
henceforward:
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1. CONSUMERS SHOULD BE PROVIDED MEANINGFUL NOTICE ABOUT THE
INFORMATION COLLECTED AND USED FOR INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING
All companies that gather and store information for interactive
advertising purposes should explain their practices in a consumer-
friendly manner. Many leading companies have long embraced this goal
via privacy policies, other forms of notice, and education, and
should continue to enhance those efforts to keep pace with
marketplace developments.
In the online environment, consumers visiting a particular Web site
should be provided meaningful notice of the types of individual
information collected for interactive advertising purposes, the
technologies employed to collect such information, and how such
information is used, including that other companies operate on the
site and may collect such information. In addition to providing
notice through easily accessible links to privacy policies and
similar disclosures, companies can use other strategies and
techniques to further increase and enhance consumer education and
awareness of information collection practices.
2. CONSUMERS SHOULD BE INFORMED OF THEIR CHOICES REGARDING
INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING AND EMPOWERED TO EXERCISE THOSE CHOICES
Consumers should be given information about the choices they have
concerning the collection and use of information for interactive
advertising purposes. Businesses collecting or using information
about individual consumers for interactive advertising purposes
should provide choice, where appropriate, to that individual.
Consumers also should receive relevant education regarding cross-
industry opportunities to opt out of the collection or use of
individual information or other methods to exercise choice.
3. BUSINESSES SHOULD IMPLEMENT APPROPRIATE INFORMATION SECURITY
PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES
Any company that maintains information for purposes of interactive
advertising should provide reasonable security for that data. Such
protections should be based on the sensitivity of the data, the
nature of a company's business operations, the types of risks a
company faces, and the reasonable protections available to a
company. Companies should require that business partners who collect
or use such data on the company's behalf also adopt appropriate
information security procedures.
4. BUSINESSES SHOULD BE RESPONSIVE AND ACCOUNTABLE TO CONSUMERS
Consumers should have a readily accessible means to express concerns
and complaints regarding adherence to these principles, and
businesses should respond appropriately.
5. COMPANIES SHOULD EDUCATE CONSUMERS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF
INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING
Businesses that collect or use information about individual consumers
for interactive advertising purposes should continue to enhance and
communicate that value proposition to consumers.
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List of the members companies of the IAB Public Policy Council:
ADTECH US, Inc.
Advertising.com
AOL
Associated Content
AT&T
Atlas DMT
Azoogle Ads, Inc.
Bebo
Blue Lithium
Cablevision Advanced Systems
CareerBuilder
CBS Interactive
CNET Networks, Inc.
CNN.com
Comcast Corporation
Compete, Inc.
comScore
Connexus
Covario, Inc.
Cox Newspapers, Inc.
DoubleClick, Inc.
Dynamic Logic
Edmunds.com
Facebook
Forbes.com
Google, Inc.
Hitwise
HowStuffWorks
IAC Media & Advertising
Idearc Media Corp.'s SuperPages.com
Internet Broadcasting Systems
iVillage, Inc
LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
MediaFLO USA, Inc.
Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions (MSN)
Motive Interactive Inc
NBC Universal Digital Media
New York Times Digital
Orbitz Worldwide
Q Interactive
Range Online Media, Inc.
Return Path
Revolution Health Group
Right Media Inc.
Sapient Corporation
SourceForge Inc.
Time Inc.
ValueClick Media
ValueClick, Inc.
Vizi
Walt Disney Internet Group
Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive
Weather Channel Interactive (Weather.com)
WeatherBug
WebMD
WorldNow
Yahoo!, Inc.
Zango
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About the IAB:
Founded in 1996, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (www.iab.net)
represents over 375 leading interactive companies that actively engage
in and support the sale of interactive advertising. IAB members are
responsible for selling over 86% of online advertising in the United
States. On behalf of its members, the IAB is dedicated to the
continuing growth of the interactive advertising marketplace, of
interactive's share of total marketing spend, and of its members'
share of total marketing spend. The IAB evaluates and recommends
standards and practices, fields interactive effectiveness research,
and educates marketers, agencies, and media companies, as well as the
wider business community, about the value of interactive advertising.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau
Marla Nitke, 212-380-4714
marla@iab.net
Copyright Business Wire 2008
