FTC Suggests Do-Not-Track System For Internet

Against the best interests of the online-advertising industry, the FTC has requested the creation of a do-not-track system for the internet, which would prevent individuals from having their internet activities monitored.

The announcement came in a report on Internet privacy that was released Wednesday.

“Many companies– both online and offline– do not adequately address consumer privacy interests,” said the report.

David Vladeck, the director of consumer protection at the FTC, said, “We will not tolerate a technological arms race that aims to subvert consumer choice. We have to simplify consumer choice, and a do-not-track option can chief that goal.”

The FTC, however, cannot impose a mandate on a do-not-track system on its own. “It would take an act of Congress, not an act of the Federal Trade Commission,” Vladeck said.