The slow death of Do Not Track

[mac]

This is disturbing. The FTC is failing to protect the American public again.

 

"FOUR years ago, the Federal Trade Commission announced, with fanfare, a plan to let American consumers decide whether to let companies track their online browsing and buying habits. The plan would let users opt out of the collection of data about their habits through a setting in their web browsers, without having to decide on a site-by-site basis.

 

The idea, known as "Do Not Track," and modeled on the popular "Do Not Call" rule that protects consumers from unwanted telemarketing calls, is simple. But the details are anything but.

 

Although many digital advertising companies agreed to the idea in principle, the debate over the definition, scope and application of "Do Not Track" has been raging for several years."From the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.c...track.html?_r=0

[securitybreach]

I am not surprised at all. How can we regulate what a company/person from another country does anyway? The internet is global.

 

Now the DoNotCall thing is a different story but I can tell you for a fact that it does not work at all and is something they could regulate inside the US.

[ebrke]

I'm not surprised that Do Not Track is struggling and nearly dead. Do Not Call is a joke! Perpetrators know the FTC has complaints backed up for years and their chance of being caught is nil, so they just ignore it. I don't answer my phone unless I recognize the number/name. My mother's phone is newer and I can create a list of up to 30 blocked numbers, so I use that for her.

Edited December 27, 2014 by ebrke

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I must be lucky. I added my home and cell numbers to the State of Florida and the Federal No Call lists quite a few years ago. I rarely ever get any SPAM phone calls these days. My phones my go 4-5 days at a time without even ringing. I love it. Plus, Verizon FIOS has a feature that allows me to block annoying callers permanently from their website settings interface. I've had to do this a couple times. It works GREAT! I can actually turn my phone off (Do Not Disturb) from the website interface, too. Handy tools.