• The New York Times, Wednesday, November 10, 2010 2:12 PM

Will online publishers and advertising actually abide by a "do not track" feature, which would keep Web sites from tracking consumer surfing habits and personal information? As The New York Times reports, a coming "confrontation" among Internet companies, federal regulators, the Obama administration and Congress might leave no other option.

The Federal Trade Commission and the Commerce Department will soon release independent -- and, as The Times suggest, "possibly conflicting" -- reports about online privacy. Meanwhile, top commerce officials are suggest that the department favors letting the industry regulate itself, "building on the common practice of user agreements where companies post their privacy policies online or consumers check a box agreeing to abide by them." Yet, top trade commission officials are apparently telling The Times that they're exploring a stricter standard -- "one that requires a 'do not track' option on a Web site or browser similar to the 'do not call' lists."

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