New Regulation Guidelines For PPC (Pay Per Click Advertising)
By Andrew Redfern @ 10th July 2009 9:38 am
A set of self-regulating guidelines for the online PPC and Google Adwords advertising has been proposed by a US group of advertisers. The aim of the group is declared as “protect consumer privacy in ad-supported interactive media”
The guidelines come down to 7 core principles:
1. Education
2. Transparency
3. Consumer Control
4. Data Security
5. Material Changes
6. Sensitive Data
7. Accountability
Many speculators are unimpressed however as the code is voluntary and as such has no real legislative teeth to bite any offending advertiser.According to the guidelines many types of personal and sensitive information can still be gathered, such as financial information and searches on sensitive subjects, and this information can be (ab)used by advertisers and other parties.
For behavioural targeting to work we need to gather data on customers, from their online behaviour to their lifestyle choices.Where exactly this data goes from public to private is a contentious issue.
Whether this attempt at self-regulation will prove to be sufficient to ward off legislation for the online advertising industry remains to be seen.
Ultimatley consumer confidence in advertisers will not return until guidelines become law, until that time, it is a step in the right direction.
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- How the US Election candidates are using pay per click advertising to target voters
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