• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, November 16, 2009

In a sign that Madison Avenue is taking note of the debate surrounding digital data collection, the Omnicom Media Group is recruiting its first privacy guru.

The company recently posted an ad with the International Association of Privacy Professionals for a senior counsel for privacy and regulatory matters. The new hire will helm the shop's efforts to comply with government regulations and industry guidelines relevant to all of its digital businesses.

The privacy attorney also will serve as lead counsel to The Trading Desk, a unit "dedicated to developing buying platforms that take advantage of the ability to perform real-time bidding for digital ad inventory based on advertiser directed targets and value estimates," according to the job posting.

With the move, Omnicom Media Group will become the second major Madison Avenue player to name a privacy czar. In January, WPP's Kantar Group tapped George Pappachen to serve in the newly created role of chief privacy officer.

The job posting comes as Capitol Hill is increasingly interested in online privacy. On Thursday, Congress will hold a hearing about data collection -- online as well as offline. Additionally, Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) has said he intends to introduce legislation that could limit companies' ability to collect online data. Furthermore, the Federal Trade Commission is gearing up for a series of privacy roundtables, the first of which will be held next month.

Trevor Hughes, executive director of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, says Omnicom Media Group is not alone in attempting to beef up privacy personnel. Hughes says his group now boasts a roster of 6,300 privacy professionals, up from around 5,000 one year ago.

He adds that Madison Avenue has a particular need for privacy officers now that shops are increasingly offering sophisticated data-driven services, including ad targeting. "If they don't understand the privacy issues in delivering those services to clients, they may be doing a disservice to clients by exposing them to unnecessary risks," Hughes says.

Pappachen adds that agencies need to stay on top of digital privacy standards as the Internet continues to mature. "If you are an agency in the business of communicating with consumers, it is important that you keep track of consumer concerns around privacy and transparency," he says.