Facebook - Err, my bad. However, refer terms of use ... oh, and we have teams that look for this type of stuff (well, after the horse has bolted) ... Roll to the video and tell me you're comfortable putting personally identificably information on Facebook ...

Refer below for the YouTube version of the BBC article on their Hong Kong web site ...

Or, go to the BBC Web Site for the version that wasn't uploaded to YouTube Hong Kong.

The FTC Behavioral Advertising submission process has essentially divided into two camps (not a surprise outcome) … industry self-regulation or the consumer advocacy position of a (recurring) call for a ‘Do-Not-Track’ Register. Refer Reuters article by Diane Bartz entitled Consumer groups urge "do not track" registry.

The economic stakes are high for advertising networks and behavioral targeting …Multi-billion dollar revenue streams. They should be focused on the case for self-regulation given the stakes.

The case for privacy and choice for the consumer is equally strong. Tracking online activities and ‘behaviors’ – especially the extent to which this arises as well as correlation of ‘offline’ data sources – at best, can be a little creepy. Similar to say, eavesdropping all of my phone conversations … or tracking everything that I watch on TV via say, a set top box / DVR …

This is not a new debate – the positions have not changed from either side, nor are they likely to … It is good to see that a middle ground of ‘sensitive’ is emerging.

Following on from yesterday's post, here is the National Adverstising Initiative draft Principles RoadMap. Their efforts have come a long way in their stated objective ... "Helping you protect your privacy online." Couldn't be simpler.

What is "Sensitive"? ... Here is the proposed list:

Certain medical/health conditions:

• HIV/ AIDS status
  Sexually-related conditions (e.g., sexually transmitted diseases, erectile dysfunction)
• Psychiatric conditions
• Cancer status
• Abortion-related

Certain personal life information:

• Sexual behavior/orientation/identity (i.e., Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender)
• Criminal victim status (e.g., rape victim status

The challenge that I will reiterate is that someone needs to know this information to PROHIBIT the advertising ...

The Behavioral Targeting conversation continues … Last Friday was the deadline for public comment on the FTC’s proposed self-regulation guidelines issued in December 2007 … refer previous post on Greater Transparency and Consumer Control.

Saul Hansell hit many of the issues on the head in the NY Times article on April 10, 2008 entitled “Ad Industry Bans Targeting People With Cancer; Ads to Widows and Orphans Allowed” …