CT CONSUMER WATCH: NEW BILL IN CONGRESS AIMS TO PROVIDE EASIER OPT OUT

Deborah Laemmerhirt 203-994-4297

Ever visit a website looking for something, for example shoes? Then every other time you searched for something else,  Zappos or Shoe Outlet.com shows up first in your search rankings! Some say "pretty cool... how did they do that". More and more are saying "OK, that's enough". Enter the growing area called Online Behavioral Advertising.

Many of the ads you receive on web pages and on web searches are, believe it or not, customized just for your eyes only. Ads you see can be based on predictions about your interests generated from your visits over time and across different Web sites. ( How Behavior Ads Work)

This type of ad customization - sometimes called online behavioral or interest based advertising- works through a system of files on your computer called "cookies". Like crumbs used to document "where you have been", these cookies tell websites a lot about where you have visited, what you have searched on and what you are clicking on. Then, this pattern of interest gets documented and entered into a profile created just on your viewing habits.

Senator Jay Rockefeller just reintroduced the  "Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2013," which would make it law for all Web browsers, online companies, and app makers to give users a choice of opting out of being tracked online. The Senator introduced the earlier bill in 2011 but was promised by the ad industry they would make it easy for consumers to opt-out.  This time the Senator wants to make it extremely easy for consumers to opt out. He would involve the Federal Trade Commission which over sees online consumer issues

https://www.aboutads.info/choices is  a site where you can opt out of some tracking systems, but not all.