Ad Groups Petition Consumer Internet Privacy Rules, Call Opt-In Requirement 'Onerous'

by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, January 3, 2017

The major U.S. ad trade associations Tuesday evening jointly submitted a petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reconsider its order mandating opt-in privacy requirements by Internet service providers.

The petition -- which was submitted jointly by the Association of National Advertisers, the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the American Advertising Federation, the Data & Marketing Association, the Interactive Advertising Bureau, and the Network Advertising Initiative -- contends that the FCC’s order “imposes sweeping and onerous requirements” for utilizing data on consumer Internet and digital media usage and “violates First Amendment protections of commercial speech.”

The petition argues that the order is also unnecessary, because the industry has already implemented its own privacy self-regulatory programs providing “necessary consumer transparency, notice and choice for interest-based advertising.”

4as, advertising, ana, data management, fcc, iab, privacy, regulation

2 comments about "Ad Groups Petition Consumer Internet Privacy Rules, Call Opt-In Requirement 'Onerous'".

Check to receive email when comments are posted.

John Grono from GAP Research, January 4, 2017 at 5:59 p.m.
I think someone shoukd buy them a dictionary!

Onerous?

If putting a single 'X' in a check-box is onerous then what is filling in your credit card details to but something (23 digits plus your name)?

What IS onerous id reading EULAs, Ts & Cs etc. Hang on ... even the act of accepting them (that pesky 'X' again') must be onerous as well.
Reply

Bill Simon from ID Builders, Inc., January 15, 2017 at 10:28 a.m.

Well, before you get all excited about the option to opt-out of having cookies installed, you may want to consider the fact that the Internet has been largely "free" up to this point (except for you paying your ISP subscription) to surf and read all sorts of content.

My father taught me a long time ago that there is nothing "free" in this world. Your past access to all that "free content" may grind to a halt as you consider opting-out of the cookie installation.

Because, as described in that petition brief, in a Zogby poll "consumers assign a value of almost $1,200 a year to ad-supported online content." (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zogby-poll--americans-say-free-ad-supported-online-services-worth-1200year-85-prefer-ad-supported-internet-to-paid-300266602.html)

If content providers are not able to gain the benefit of allowing advertisers, who rely on the cookie tracking capabilities to function, to advertise on their sites to a) offset the cost of hosting, and b) paying for content, then an entire support system for the content-driven Web will collapse.

And, that collapse will result in people having to PAY money to access content. Do you have the approximate $1000-$1200 that you have been saving by not paying it, to pay it if this rule stays in effect?