To most consumers, the lowercase "i" means all things Apple. But, to appease government regulators and privacy advocates, the ad industry will now use the little letter to identify online ads using
demographic and behavioral data. In the name of transparency, the plan -- according to Jules Polonetsky, co-chairman and director of the Future of Privacy Forum, which helped create the symbol -- is
to get consumers to associate the "i" with the highly controversial ad tracking technology. Most major companies running online ads are expected to begin adding the icon to their ads by mid-summer,
along with phrases like "Why did I get this ad?" When consumers click on the icon, a white "i" surrounded by a circle on a blue background, they will be taken to a Web page explaining how the
advertiser uses their Web surfing history and demographic profile to send them certain ads.
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