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News >> Technology >>
Administrators divided on online privacy issue
By siliconindia
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Friday, 12 November 2010, 23:18 IST
Washington: The internet is virtually running the world these days. This means its privy to many of your information, whether you like it or not. As nobody likes to share their private lives in public, privacy advocates are now pushing on the 'do not track' feature on internet that allows users to direct websites to stop tracking their online habits and collecting clues about age, salary, health, location and leisure activities.
Pretty much similar to the lines of the 'do not call' feature on mobile phones, the 'do not track' feature has internet companies and administrators at loggerheads. The administrators themselves are divided on how strict the regulations on internet should be.
The coming weeks will see the Federal Trade Commission and the Commerce Department release their respective reports about online privacy, each probably conflicting with the other.
While reactions from Commerce Department officials seem to favor the internet industry regulating itself, top Trade Commission officials insist on a stricter standard, one that requires a 'do not track' option on a web site or browser.
The two agencies are warring on who will launch the report first. Sources in the know say that for now the Commerce Department has been given the go ahead provided it submits its report soon.
The consumer advocates seem to be worried that under the veil of all the warring administrators the interest of the people affected by the privacy policies may get neglected. On their part, however, the internet companies would like to continue to police themselves.