FTC Wants Internet Companies to Use "Do Not Track" System

[exfileme]

The FTC wants internet companies to agree on a "Do Not Track" system so that consumers have full control over their private information.

FTC Wants Internet Companies to Use "Do Not Track" System : Read more

 

[cheepstuff]

That seems kinda ironic, especially considering what their colleges in the NSA are building in Utah right now. IMHO, internet companies are far less of an issue than the ridiculous intrusion by the US government in the name of "counter terrorism" and "protection". A company is doomed the instant the consumer decides they are more trouble than their services are worth, for any reason, at any time ( take Netflix for example). A government can and will use force to collect resources from its citizens, whether or not they like what the government is doing.

 

[Guest]

I find this article hilarious that my DO NOT TRACK extension is showing 17 companies blocked from Toms that's trying to track me atm.

 

[dalethepcman]

[citation][nom]Waffleszzz[/nom]I find this article hilarious that my DO NOT TRACK extension is showing 17 companies blocked from Toms that's trying to track me atm.[/citation]
Yours must be better than mine. Ghostery only shows 13 🙁

 

[lightbulbsocket]

Do companies really need a system for not tracking people? It seems to me that they could just, you know, not do that.

 

[f-14]

These two requests obviously stem from the controversy surrounding numerous mobile phone apps that unknowingly collected data and piped the info to remote servers.

i forgot about that, wouldn't that be considered wire tapping and an automatic go to jail sentence for the people involved with the whole process?
if not it should be.
nixon resigned as president for less.

 

[srap]

[citation][nom]dalethepcman[/nom]Yours must be better than mine. Ghostery only shows 13[/citation]
Go to the main page of tomshardware, you'll see all 17.

 

[COLGeek]

I am sure this will work as well as the Do Not Call lists we have in the US. All numbers I own are listed and all get the very calls that should not prohibited.

 

[lathe26]

Not all forms of tracking are evil. Many are simple web sites, mobile apps, and desktop apps trying to find out how real users are actually using the software (ex: "Is anyone using the new thesaurus feature successfully?"). This is a far better way that having the software dev guess what's important or using some contrived user study.

That said, end-users should always AT LEAST have the option to opt-out.

 

[freggo]

There is tracking and then there is Track-Trading.

If a site stores my zip code in a cookie so I do not have to enter in the next time that is cool.
But if one company trades with another company my buying habits for instance, that's not acceptable.

Usually common sense tells you if you cross the line, but with quarterly sales reports looming in everyone's future common sense often goes out the window.