IAB To FTC: The Kids Are Alright

kids/laptop

The Interactive Advertising Bureau is asking the Federal Trade Commission to refrain from broadening regulations regarding children's online privacy.

In a letter filed this week, the IAB argues that any new rules restricting ad networks' ability to collect data for behavioral targeting, or defining IP addresses as personal information, would conflict with the goal of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. That law requires Web site operators to obtain parents' consent before collecting personal information from children under 13.

"If the definition of 'personal information' were expanded to include anonymous data obtained through behavioral advertising, third parties would be forced to collect individually identifiable information about the user in order to effectuate the verifiable parental consent notice requirements," states the letter, signed by IAB vice-president for public policy Mike Zaneis. "In other words, the data that ad networks collect would have to be significantly broadened."

Zaneis goes on to say that it doesn't make sense to consider IP addresses personal information because there's no way to contact someone solely via an IP address in order to obtain their parents' consent.

The FTC in March sought opinions about whether to revamp the COPPA regulations, last updated in 2000. The FTC specifically said it was considering whether the definition of "personal information" should be expanded to include "persistent IP addresses, mobile geolocation information or information collected in connection with online behavioral advertising.

The IAB reiterated its support for self-regulation on privacy, adding that online behavioral targeting -- or serving ads to computer users based on sites visited -- is anonymous. "The delivery of online advertisements involves no more 'contact' with an individual by a network advertiser than the advertising department of a city newspaper has with its subscribers as a result of including inserts tailored for locals residing in particular suburban neighborhoods," the letter states.

The agency also sought input about how COPPA should apply to new platforms, including mobile, interactive TV and interactive gaming.

The IAB warned in its filing that extending the regulations to such platforms would "present technological challenges."

"Mobile devices are small and do not provide the same amount of physical space provided by computer or laptop screens for disclosures," the IAB writes. "Mobile devices also present challenges for how to obtain verifiable parental consent from parents."

A coalition of 17 advocacy groups and health organizations -- including The Center for Digital Democracy, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Pediatrics, Consumers Union and U.S. PIRG -- filed comments late last month calling on the FTC to extend the COPPA rules to emerging platforms. "When Congress passed COPPA in 1998, computers provided the only means of accessing websites and online services. Today, adults and children have many other ways to access the Internet and online services," the groups said.

5 comments about "IAB To FTC: The Kids Are Alright".
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  1. Douglas Ferguson from College of Charleston, July 15, 2010 at 7:54 a.m.

    Me to headline-writer: Your grammar is not all right

    Alright is nonstandard English.

  2. Frank Watson from Kangamurra Media, July 15, 2010 at 8:04 a.m.

    Claiming behavioral targeting is the same as localized ad inserts is way too simplistic and inaccurate - if you wanted to carry through with the newspaper analogy it would be more accurate to compare it to knowing what pages are read or what coupons clipped etc. and using that information to tailor ads or allowing advertisers to pinpoint which printings their ads appear in based on their address information from credit card purchases at their brick and mortar stores.

    The two are not even close and using such analogies just weaken the efforts to halt implementation of overzealous measures when the logic is shown to be very faulty.

  3. Frank Watson from Kangamurra Media, July 15, 2010 at 8:11 a.m.

    Douglas, it was a reference to The Who album.

  4. Mike Einstein from the Brothers Einstein, July 15, 2010 at 8:43 a.m.

    Assuming behavioral targeting is already widespread enough to justify this debate and the IAB's valuable time, one can only conclude that it isn't working very well. At least that's what "targeted" CPMs for less than a buck tells me.

    Perhaps the real question should be: Why bother?

  5. Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, July 15, 2010 at 8:58 a.m.

    As for newspapers, there is total control of what can be advertised. Every ad is "family friendly". In newspapers, it's more like price targeting where there are different rates for different categories, placement, geographic sections (for some) and color. Plus, newspapers are not written for kids; most are on a 6-8th grade level. As to the content of this article - The IAB - WHAT !?

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