Tracking, Targeting, & Technology

Behavioral Advertising

FTC Staff Report:

February 2009

Self-Regulatory Principles 

For Online Behavioral Advertising
TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY....................................................... i

I. INTRODUCTION........................................................ 1

II. BACKGROUND. ........................................................ 2

A. What Is Online Behavioral Advertising?.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

B. The FTC’s Examination of Online Behavioral Advertising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1. Online Profiling Workshop. .................................... 6

2. Tech-ade Hearings and the Ehavioral Advertising Town Hall. . . . . . . . . . 8

C. Staff’s Proposed Self-Regulatory Principles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

D. Recent Initiatives to Address Privacy Concerns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

III. SUMMARY OF THE COMMENTS RECEIVED AND STAFF’S ANALYSIS.. . . . . . 18

A. The Principles’ Scope. ............................................. 20

1. Applicability to Non-PII. ..................................... 20

2. Applicability to “First Party” Online Behavioral Advertising. . . . . . . . . . 26

3. Applicability to Contextual Advertising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

B. Transparency and Consumer Control................................... 30

1. Choice for Non-PII........................................... 31

2. Providing Effective Notice and Choice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

C. Reasonable Security and Limited Data Retention for Consumer Data. . . . . . . . . 37

D. Affirmative Express Consent for Material Retroactive Changes to Privacy

Promises......................................................... 39

E. Affirmative Express Consent to (or Prohibition Against) Use of Sensitive 

Data ............................................................ 42

F. Secondary Uses.. .................................................. 44

IV. REVISED PRINCIPLES. ................................................. 45

A. Definition. ....................................................... 46

B. Principles........................................................ 46

1. Transparency and Consumer Control.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

2. Reasonable Security, and Limited Data Retention, for Consumer 

Data. ..................................................... 46

3. Affirmative Express Consent for Material Changes to Existing Privacy

Promises................................................... 47

4. Affirmative Express Consent to (or Prohibition Against) Using Sensitive

Data for Behavioral Advertising. ............................... 47

V. CONCLUSION. ........................................................ 47
i

FTC STAFF REPORT:

SELF-REGULATORY PRINCIPLES FOR ONLINE BEHAVIORAL ADVERTISING

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Since the emergence of “e-commerce” in the mid-1990s, the online marketplace has

continued to expand and evolve, creating new business models that allow greater interactivity

between consumers and online companies. This expanding marketplace has provided many

benefits to consumers, including free access to rich sources of information and the convenience

of shopping for goods and services from home. At the same time, the ease with which

companies can collect and combine information from consumers online has raised questions and

concerns about consumer privacy.

Starting in 1995, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) has sought to

understand the online marketplace and the privacy issues it raises for consumers. The

Commission has hosted numerous public workshops and has issued public reports focusing on

online data collection practices, industry self-regulatory efforts, and technological developments

affecting consumer privacy. As part of this effort, the Commission has examined online

behavioral advertising – the practice of tracking an individual’s online activities in order to

deliver advertising tailored to the individual’s interests. In November 2007, the FTC held a twoday “Town Hall,” which brought together numerous interested parties to discuss online

behavioral advertising in a public forum. 

Participants at the Town Hall discussed the potential benefits of the practice to

consumers, including the free online content that online advertising generally supports, the

personalized advertising that many consumers may value, and a potential reduction in unwanted

advertising. They also discussed the privacy concerns that the practice raises, including the
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invisibility of the data collection to consumers; the shortcomings of current disclosures about the

practice; the potential to develop and store detailed profiles about consumers; and the risk that

data collected for behavioral advertising – including sensitive data regarding health, finances, or

children – could fall into the wrong hands or be used for unanticipated purposes. Following the

Town Hall, FTC staff released for public comment a set of proposed principles (the “Principles”)

designed to serve as the basis for industry self-regulatory efforts to address privacy concerns in

this area.

In drafting the Principles, FTC staff drew upon its ongoing examination of behavioral

advertising, as well as the public discussion at the Town Hall. Staff also attempted to balance

the potential benefits of behavioral advertising against the privacy concerns. Specifically, the

Principles provide for transparency and consumer control and reasonable security for consumer

data. They also call for companies to obtain affirmative express consent from consumers before

they use data in a manner that is materially different than promised at the time of collection and

before they collect and use “sensitive” consumer data for behavioral advertising. In addition to

proposing the Principles, staff also requested information concerning the use of tracking data for

purposes unrelated to behavioral advertising.

Staff received sixty-three comments on the Principles from eighty-seven stakeholders,

including individual companies, business groups, academics, consumer and privacy advocates,

and individual consumers. Many commenters addressed the Principles’ scope, an issue that cuts

across each of the individual principles. In particular, commenters discussed whether the

Principles should apply to practices involving information that is not personally identifiable and

whether they should apply to “first party” and “contextual” behavioral advertising models. As

discussed further in this Report, staff believes that the Principles should apply to data that could
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reasonably be associated with a particular consumer or computer or other device, regardless of

whether the data is “personally identifiable” in the traditional sense. Indeed, in the context of

online behavioral advertising, rapidly changing technologies and other factors have made the

line between personally identifiable and non-personally identifiable information increasingly

unclear. Moreover, this approach is consistent with existing self-regulatory efforts in this area. 

Staff agrees with some of the commenters, however, that the Principles’ scope could be

more narrowly focused in two important respects. First, it appears that “first party” behavioral

advertising – behavioral advertising by and at a single website – is more likely to be consistent

with consumer expectations, and less likely to lead to consumer harm, than other forms of

behavioral advertising. Second, staff believes that contextual advertising – advertising based on

a consumer’s current visit to a single web page or a single search query that involves no

retention of data about the consumer’s online activities beyond that necessary for the immediate

delivery of an ad or search result – is likely to be less invasive than other forms of behavioral

advertising. Accordingly, staff believes that the Principles need not cover these practices. Staff

notes, however, that some of the Principles are based on existing Commission law and policy. 

Therefore, regardless of the scope of the Principles, companies must still comply with existing

legal obligations to provide reasonable security for consumer data. Further, companies must

adhere to the promises they make regarding how they collect, use, store, and disclose data, and

cannot make unilateral, “material changes” to such promises without consumers’ consent. 

In addition to addressing the Principles’ overall scope, numerous commenters discussed

the individual principles. In particular, commenters discussed whether and how to provide

transparency and consumer choice for online behavioral advertising. They also raised issues

related to the material change principle and questioned how to define “sensitive” data and the
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appropriate protections for such data. Relatively few of the commenters answered staff’s request

for additional information on other uses for tracking data. This Report discusses the main points

addressed in the comments, provides further guidance regarding the scope and application of the

Principles, and sets forth revised Principles. It also discusses recent initiatives by industry,

consumer groups, and others to address the consumer privacy concerns raised by online

behavioral advertising. 

This Report constitutes the next step in an ongoing process to examine behavioral

advertising that involves the FTC, industry, consumer and privacy organizations, and individual

consumers. Although the comments have helped to frame the policy issues and inform public

understanding of online behavioral advertising, the practices continue to evolve and significant

work remains. Some companies and industry groups have begun to develop new privacy

policies and self-regulatory approaches, but more needs to be done to educate consumers about

online behavioral advertising and provide effective protections for consumers’ privacy. Staff,

therefore, will continue to examine this marketplace and take actions to protect consumers as

appropriate. 
 FTC Staff, Online Behavioral Advertising: Moving the Discussion Forward to Possible 1

Self-Regulatory Principles (Dec. 20, 2007), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/os/2007/12/P859900stmt.pdf.

 FTC Town Hall, Ehavioral Advertising: Tracking, Targeting, & Technology (Nov. 1-2, 2

2007), available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/ehavioral/index.shtml.

I. INTRODUCTION

On December 20, 2007, Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) staff

released for public comment a set of proposed self-regulatory principles related to online

behavioral advertising – the practice of tracking an individual’s online activities in order to

deliver advertising tailored to the individual’s interests. Staff developed these principles (the 1

“Principles”) based on an ongoing examination of the consumer issues raised by behavioral

advertising and the public discussion of these issues at the FTC’s November 2007 “Ehavioral

Advertising” Town Hall. Staff’s goals in releasing the Principles were to spur continuing public

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dialogue about the issues and to encourage industry to develop meaningful self-regulation in this

area. 

In developing the proposed Principles, staff attempted to balance the privacy concerns

raised by online behavioral advertising against the potential benefits of the practice. Consumers

have genuine and legitimate concerns about how their data is collected, stored, and used online. 

They may also benefit, however, from the free content that online advertising generally supports,

as well as the personalization of advertising that many consumers appear to value. Thus, any

self-regulatory program in this area should address practices that raise genuine privacy concerns

without interfering with practices – or stifling innovation – where privacy concerns are minimal. 

In response to the proposed Principles, staff received over sixty comments from various

stakeholders, including industry, privacy advocates, technologists, consumers, academics, and

state and foreign governmental entities. The comments have helped to further staff’s
A cookie is a small text file that a website’s server places on a computer’s web browser. 

3

The cookie transmits information back to the website’s server about the browsing activities of

the computer user on the site. This includes information such as pages and content viewed, the

time and duration of visits, search queries entered into search engines, and whether a computer

user clicked on an advertisement. Cookies also can be used to maintain data related to a

particular individual, including passwords or items in an online shopping cart. In some contexts,

such as where a number of separate websites participate in a network, cookies can be used to

track a computer user across different sites. In addition to cookies, there are other devices for

tracking online activities, including “web bugs,” “web beacons,” and “Flash cookies.”

 As discussed below, however, it may be possible to link or merge the collected 4

information with personally identifiable information – for example, name, address, and other

information provided by a consumer when the consumer registers at a website. 

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understanding of the complex and rapidly evolving online behavioral advertising marketplace. 

At the same time, the comments raised additional issues and questions for consideration, and

many of them called upon Commission staff to provide more guidance. This Report summarizes

and responds to the main issues raised in the comments. In addition, the Report provides 

guidance on the Principles and sets forth revised principles consistent with this guidance. 

II. BACKGROUND

A. What Is Online Behavioral Advertising?

Online behavioral advertising involves the tracking of consumers’ online activities in

order to deliver tailored advertising. The practice, which is typically invisible to consumers,

allows businesses to align their ads more closely to the inferred interests of their audience. In

many cases, the information collected is not personally identifiable in the traditional sense – that

is, the information does not include the consumer’s name, physical address, or similar identifier

that could be used to identify the consumer in the offline world. Instead, businesses generally

use “cookies” to track consumers’ activities and associate those activities with a particular 3

computer or device. Many of the companies engaged in behavioral advertising are so-called 4
 Ads from network advertisers are usually delivered based upon data collected about a 5

given consumer as he or she travels across the different websites in the advertising network. An

individual network may include hundreds or thousands of different, unrelated websites and an

individual website may belong to multiple networks.

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“network advertisers,” companies that select and deliver advertisements across the Internet at

websites that participate in their networks. 

5

An example of how behavioral advertising might work is as follows: a consumer visits a

travel website and searches for airline flights to New York City. The consumer does not

purchase any tickets, but later visits the website of a local newspaper to read about the

Washington Nationals baseball team. While on the newspaper’s website, the consumer receives

an advertisement from an airline featuring flights from Washington D.C. to New York City.

In this simple example, the travel website where the consumer conducted his research

might have an arrangement with a network advertiser to provide advertising to its visitors. The 

network advertiser places on the consumer’s computer a cookie, which is tied to non-personally

identifiable information such as the web pages the consumer has visited, the advertisements that

the consumer has been shown, and how frequently each advertisement has been shown. Because

the newspaper’s website is also part of the advertising network, when the consumer visits the

newspaper website the network advertiser’s cookie identifies the consumer as a visitor to the

travel website who likely has an interest in traveling to New York. It then serves the

corresponding advertisement for airline flights to New York. 

In a slightly more sophisticated example, the information about the consumer’s activities

on the travel website could be combined with information about the content that the consumer

viewed on the newspaper’s website. The advertisement served could then be tailored to the

consumer’s interest in, not just New York City, but also baseball (e.g., an advertisement
See, e.g., FTC Report, Privacy Online: Fair Information Practices in the Electronic 6

Marketplace 3-6 (May 2000), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/reports/privacy2000/privacy2000.pdf. This report described the

Commission’s involvement in online privacy issues and recommended that Congress enact

online privacy legislation based upon “fair information practice” principles for consumeroriented commercial websites.

See, e.g., FTC Town Hall, Beyond Voice: Mapping the Mobile Marketplace (May 6-7, 7

2008), available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/mobilemarket/index.shtml; FTC

Workshop, Protecting Personal Information: Best Practices for Business (Apr. 15, 2008, Aug.

13, 2008, and Nov. 13, 2008), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/infosecurity/index.shtml; FTC Workshop, Security in

Numbers: SSNs and ID Theft (Dec. 10-11, 2007), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/ssn/index.shtml; FTC Staff Report, Spam Summit: The Next

Generation of Threats and Solutions (Nov. 2007), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/os/2007/12/071220spamsummitreport.pdf; FTC Summit, Spam Summit: The

Next Generation of Threats and Solutions (July 11-12, 2007), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/spamsummit/index.shtml; FTC Staff Report, Radio

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referring to the New York Yankees). 

B. The FTC’s Examination of Online Behavioral Advertising

The Federal Trade Commission’s involvement with online privacy issues, including

behavioral advertising, dates back to the emergence of “e-commerce.” Since that time, the 6

Commission has sought to understand the marketplace, to evaluate the costs and benefits of

various practices affecting consumers, and to stop unfair or deceptive practices. At the same

time, given the dynamic nature of this marketplace and the technologies that make it possible,

the Commission has consistently sought to avoid stifling innovation so that responsible business

practices could develop and flourish. The Commission has engaged in a continuous dialogue

with members of industry, consumer and privacy advocates, technology experts, consumers, and

other interested parties. Starting in 1995, the Commission has conducted a series of public

workshops and has issued reports focusing on online data collection practices, industry’s selfregulatory efforts, and technological efforts to enhance consumer privacy. In addition to these 7
Frequency IDentification: Applications and Implications for Consumers (Mar. 2005), available

at http://www.ftc.gov/os/2005/03/050308rfidrpt.pdf; FTC Workshop, Radio Frequency

IDentification: Applications and Implications for Consumers (June 21, 2004), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/rfid/index.shtm; FTC Workshop, Monitoring Software on

Your PC: Spyware, Adware and Other Software (Apr. 19, 2004), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/spyware/index.shtm; FTC Forum, Spam Forum (Apr. 30-

May 2, 2003), available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/spam/index.shtml; FTC

Workshop, Consumer Information Security Workshop (May 20-21, 2002), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/security/index.shtm; FTC Report, The Mobile Wireless Web,

Data Services and Beyond: Emerging Technologies and Consumer Issues (Feb. 2002), available

at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/reports/wirelesssummary.pdf; FTC Workshop, The Information

Marketplace: Merging and Exchanging Consumer Data (Mar. 2001), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/infomktplace/index.shtml; FTC Workshop, The Mobile

Wireless Web, Data Services and Beyond: Emerging Technologies and Consumer Issues (Dec.

11-12, 2000), available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/wireless/index.shtml; FTC Report,

Consumer Protection in the Global Electronic Marketplace: Looking Ahead (Sept. 2000),

available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/icpw/lookingahead/electronicmkpl.pdf; FTC Workshop,

U.S. Perspectives on Consumer Protection in the Global Electronic Marketplace (June 1999),

available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/icpw/lookingahead/global.shtm; FTC Staff Report, Public

Workshop on Consumer Privacy on the Global Information Infrastructure (Dec. 1996), available

at http://www.ftc.gov/reports/privacy/privacy.pdf; FTC Workshop, Consumer Privacy on the

Global Information Infrastructure (June 1996), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/privacy/wkshp96/privacy.shtm.

 Since 2001, the Commission has brought twenty-three actions against companies that 8

allegedly failed to provide reasonable protections for sensitive consumer information in both

online and offline settings. See FTC v. Navone, No. 2:08-CV-01842 (D. Nev. filed Dec. 30,

2008); United States v. ValueClick, Inc., No. 2:08-CV-01711 (C.D. Cal. Mar. 13, 2008); United

States v. American United Mortgage, No. 1:07-CV-07064 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 18, 2007); United

States v. ChoicePoint, Inc., No. 1:06-CV-0198 (N.D. Ga. Feb. 15, 2006); In the Matter of Genica

Corp., FTC Matter No. 082-3133 (Feb. 5, 2009) (proposed consent agreement); In the Matter of

Premier Capital Lending, Inc., FTC Docket No. C-4241 (Dec. 10, 2008); In the Matter of The

TJX Cos., FTC Docket No. C-4227 (July 29, 2008); In the Matter of Reed Elsevier Inc., FTC

Docket No. C-4226 (July 29, 2008); In the Matter of Life is good, Inc., FTC Docket No. C-4218

(Apr. 16, 2008); In the Matter of Goal Fin., LLC, FTC Docket No. C-4216 (Apr. 9, 2008); In the

Matter of Guidance Software, Inc., FTC Docket No. C-4187 (Mar. 30, 2007); In the Matter of

CardSystems Solutions, Inc., FTC Docket No. C-4168 (Sept. 5, 2006); In the Matter of Nations

Title Agency, Inc., FTC Docket No. C-4161 (June 19, 2006); In the Matter of DSW, Inc., FTC

5

policy initiatives, the Commission and its staff have conducted investigations and brought law

enforcement actions challenging such practices as deceptive privacy claims and improper

disclosure of consumer data.

8
Docket No. C-4157 (Mar. 7, 2006); In the Matter of Superior Mortgage Corp., FTC Docket No.

C-4153 (Dec. 14, 2005); In the Matter of BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc., FTC Docket No. C-4148

(Sept. 20, 2005); In the Matter of Nationwide Mortgage Group, Inc., FTC Docket No. 9319

(Apr. 12, 2005); In the Matter of Petco Animal Supplies, Inc., FTC Docket No. C-4133 (Mar. 4,

2005); In the Matter of Sunbelt Lending Servs., Inc., FTC Docket No. C-4129 (Jan. 3, 2005); In

the Matter of MTS Inc., d/b/a Tower Records/Books/Video, FTC Docket No. C-4110 (May 28,

2004); In the Matter of Guess?, Inc., FTC Docket No. C-4091 (July 30, 2003); In the Matter of

Microsoft Corp., FTC Docket No. C-4069 (Dec. 20, 2002); In the Matter of Eli Lilly & Co., FTC

Docket No. C-4047 (May 8, 2002).

 FTC and Department of Commerce Workshop, Online Profiling Public Workshop 9

(Nov. 8, 1999), available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/profiling/index.shtm.

 June 2000 Report, available at 10

http://www.ftc.gov/os/2000/06/onlineprofilingreportjune2000.pdf. The June 2000 Report stated

that “[m]any commenters at the Workshop objected to networks’ hidden monitoring of

consumers and collection of extensive personal data without consumers’ knowledge or consent;

they also noted that network advertisers offer consumers few, if any, choices about the use and

dissemination of their individual information obtained in this manner.” Id. at 10.

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1. Online Profiling Workshop

As a part of these efforts, in November 1999 the FTC and the Department of Commerce

jointly sponsored a public workshop to examine the privacy implications of “online profiling” –

essentially, an early form of online behavioral advertising. Based upon the workshop, the FTC 9

prepared two reports to Congress. The first, Online Profiling: A Report to Congress (June 2000)

(“June 2000 Report”), described how online profiling operates and addressed the concerns that

many of the workshop participants raised about the collection of detailed consumer data and the

practice’s lack of transparency. The June 2000 Report also described online profiling’s 10

potential benefits to consumers, as well as to businesses. These benefits included delivering

more relevant ads to consumers, subsidizing free online content, and allowing businesses to

market more precisely and spend their advertising dollars more effectively.

The Commission’s second report, Online Profiling: A Report to Congress Part 2
 July 2000 Report, available at 11 http://www.ftc.gov/os/2000/07/onlineprofiling.pdf. 

 Issued in 2000, the NAI Principles required network advertisers to notify consumers 12

about profiling activities on host websites and to give consumers the ability to choose not to

participate in profiling. The NAI Principles applied to both personally identifiable and nonpersonally identifiable consumer data. Where a member collected personally identifiable

information, it had to provide notice and opt-out choice at the time and place of collection. For

non-personally identifiable information, notice could appear in the publisher website’s privacy

policy with a link to the NAI website, where a consumer could opt out. The NAI Principles also

imposed certain restrictions on the merger of personally identifiable information with nonpersonally identifiable information. As discussed in more detail below, NAI recently released

revised principles.

See July 2000 Report, supra note 11, at 10-11. 13

 See, e.g., George Raine, Dot-com Ads Make a Comeback, S.F. CHRON., Apr. 10, 2005, 14

available at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/10/BUG1GC5M4I1.DTL

(discussing negative impact of dot-com implosion on online advertising generally).

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Recommendations (July 2000) (“July 2000 Report”), supplemented the first report by 11

addressing self-regulatory principles developed by the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”). 

NAI, an organization consisting of online network advertisers, had developed these principles

(“NAI Principles”) in response to concerns raised at the 1999 workshop and submitted them to

the FTC and the Department of Commerce for consideration. In the July 2000 Report, the

Commission commended the NAI companies’ efforts in developing principles that included

various protections to govern the collection and use of consumer data online. Nevertheless, 12

while acknowledging that “self-regulation is an important and powerful mechanism for

protecting consumers,” a majority of the Commission recommended that Congress enact

“backstop legislation” to address online profiling. 

13

Ultimately, Congress did not enact legislation to address online profiling. In the

meantime, with the “burst” of the dot-com bubble, the number of network advertisers declined

dramatically such that by the early 2000s, many had gone out of business.14
 Id. See also Ryan Blitstein, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo in Online Ad War, SAN JOSE 15

MERCURY NEWS, May 19, 2007. 

 The complete transcripts of the hearings, entitled Protecting Consumers in the Next 16

Tech-Ade, are available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/techade/transcripts.html.

See Transcript of Hearing Record at 46-107, Protecting Consumers in the Next Tech- 17

ade (Nov. 7, 2006), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/techade/pdfs/transcript_061107.pdf (panel discussion entitled

“Marketing and Advertising in the Next Tech-ade”). 

See, e.g., Letter from Ari Schwartz, Executive Director, and Alissa Cooper, Policy 18

Analyst, Center for Democracy and Technology (“CDT”), to J. Thomas Rosch, Commissioner,

FTC (Jan. 19, 2007), available at

http://www.cdt.org/privacy/20070119rosch-behavioral-letter.pdf; Center for Digital Democracy

(“CDD”) and U.S. Public Interest Research Group,Complaint and Request for Inquiry and

Injunctive Relief Concerning Unfair and Deceptive Online Marketing Practices (Nov. 1, 2006),

available at http://www.democraticmedia.org/files/pdf/FTCadprivacy.pdf.

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2. Tech-ade Hearings and the Ehavioral Advertising Town Hall

By the middle of the decade, the online advertising market, including the behavioral

advertising market, had regained its footing. Indeed, online advertising spending grew

dramatically between 2002 and 2006, with estimated sales rising from $6 billion to over $16.6

billion. These changes in the marketplace, and the growing practice of behavioral advertising, 15

were a featured topic at the FTC’s November 2006 “Tech-ade” hearings, which examined the 16

consumer protection challenges anticipated over the next ten years. Participants at the hearings

described how technological advances had allowed for greater and more efficient use of online

profiling (now called “behavioral” advertising, targeting, or marketing) and brought renewed

attention to the practice.17

In the months after the Tech-ade hearings, staff launched an effort to learn more about

online behavioral advertising. At the same time, several organizations petitioned the

Commission to reexamine the privacy issues raised by the practice. Further, the announcement 18
See Letter from Jeffrey Chester, Executive Director, CDD, to Deborah Platt Majoras, 19

Chairman, FTC et al. (Dec. 10, 2007), available at

http://www.democraticmedia.org/files/FTCletter121007.pdf; Letter from Mindy Bockstein,

Executive Director, New York State Consumer Protection Board, to Deborah Platt Majoras,

Chairman, FTC, Re: DoubleClick Inc. and Google, Inc. Merger (May 1, 2007), available at

http://epic.org/privacy/ftc/google/cpb.pdf. The Commission approved the merger on December

20, 2007, at the same time that it issued the Principles. See Statement of Federal Trade

Commission Concerning Google/DoubleClick, FTC File No. 071-0170 (Dec. 20, 2007),

available at http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0710170/071220statement.pdf.

 The complete transcripts of the Town Hall entitled Ehavioral Advertising: Tracking, 20

Targeting & Technology are available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/ehavioral/71101wor.pdf and

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/ehavioral/71102wor.pdf.

 To facilitate a comprehensive discussion of the issues at the Ehavioral Advertising 21

Town Hall, the FTC applied a broad definition of online behavioral advertising – namely, the

collection of information about a consumer’s online activities in order to deliver advertising

targeted to the individual consumer’s interests. This definition was meant to encompass the

various tracking activities engaged in by diverse companies across the web. See Transcript of

Town Hall Record at 8, Ehavioral Advertising: Tracking, Targeting & Technology (Nov. 1,

2007), available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/ehavioral/71101wor.pdf (introductory

remarks of Lydia B. Parnes, Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection) [hereinafter “Nov. 1

Transcript”]. FTC staff used a similar definition in its proposed Principles.

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 of the proposed merger between Google, Inc. (“Google”) and DoubleClick, Inc. in April 2007

raised concerns about the combination of large databases of consumer information and the

potential development of detailed consumer profiles. Commission staff met with dozens of 19

industry representatives, technology experts, consumer and privacy advocates, and academics. 

These meetings aided staff’s understanding of the changes to the industry since the 1999

workshop and allowed staff to identify key questions and issues for further discussion.

In November 2007, the FTC held its “Ehavioral Advertising Town Hall,” a two-day

public meeting that brought together various interested parties to discuss the privacy issues

surrounding online behavioral advertising. Based on the discussion, several core principles 20

emerged. First, as discussed above, online behavioral advertising may provide valuable 21
 Many similar issues arose during the FTC Town Hall held in May 2008 on the mobile 22

commerce marketplace. There, participants discussed consumers’ ability to control mobile

marketing applications, the challenges of effective disclosures given the size limitations in the

mobile context, marketing to sensitive groups, and the developments of the next generation of

mobile-based products and services. See generally FTC Town Hall, Beyond Voice: Mapping the

Mobile Marketplace (May 6-7, 2008), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/mobilemarket/index.shtml.

See, e.g., Transcript of Town Hall Record at 144-149, Ehavioral Advertising: Tracking, 23

Targeting & Technology (Nov. 2, 2007), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/ehavioral/71102wor.pdf (statements of Pam Dixon,

Executive Director, World Privacy Forum) [hereinafter “Nov. 2 Transcript”].

Id. at 135-143, 155-159. As an alternative to the existing self-regulatory models, and 24

in an effort to increase consumers’ control over the tracking of their online activities, a coalition

of privacy groups proposed the development of a “Do Not Track List.” See Ari Schwartz, CDT,

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benefits to consumers in the form of free content, personalization that many consumers appear to

value, and a potential reduction in unwanted advertising. Second, the invisibility of the practice

to consumers raises privacy concerns, as does the risk that data collected for behavioral

advertising – including sensitive data about children, health, or finances – could be misused. 

Third, business and consumer groups alike expressed support for transparency and consumer

control in the online marketplace.22

A number of Town Hall participants also criticized existing self-regulatory efforts. 

Specifically, these participants stated that the NAI Principles had not been effective to address

the privacy concerns that online behavioral advertising raises. They argued that the NAI

Principles were too limited because they applied only to network advertisers and not to other

business models. Other critics cited the purported lack of enforcement of the NAI Principles and

its cumbersome and inaccessible opt-out system. Further, while various industry associations 23

discussed their online self-regulatory schemes to address privacy issues, these schemes did not

generally focus on behavioral advertising. 

24
et al., Consumer Rights and Protections in the Behavioral Advertising Sector, available at

http://www.cdt.org/privacy/20071031consumerprotectionsbehavioral.pdf (Oct. 31, 2007) (the

proposed “Do Not Track List” is modeled after the FTC’s national “Do Not Call” registry and

would require online advertisers using a persistent identifier to provide to the FTC the domain

names of the servers or other devices placing the identifier).

11

C. Staff’s Proposed Self-Regulatory Principles

In response to the issues raised at the Town Hall, and to continue the dialogue with

interested parties, in December 2007 Commission staff released the proposed self-regulatory

Principles for public comment. Staff supported self-regulation because it provides the necessary

flexibility to address evolving online business models. At the same time, however, staff

recognized that existing self-regulatory efforts had not provided comprehensive and accessible

protections to consumers. Accordingly, in issuing the proposed Principles, staff intended to

guide industry in developing more meaningful and effective self-regulatory models than had

been developed to date. 

The proposed Principles include four governing concepts. The first is transparency and

control: companies that collect information for behavioral advertising should provide

meaningful disclosures to consumers about the practice and choice about whether to allow the

practice. The second principle proposes reasonable security and limited data retention: 

companies should provide reasonable data security measures so that behavioral data does not fall

into the wrong hands, and should retain data only as long as necessary for legitimate business or

law enforcement needs. The third principle governs material changes to privacy policies: before

a company uses behavioral data in a manner that is materially different from promises made

when the company collected the data, it should obtain affirmative express consent from the
See, e.g., In the Matter of Gateway Learning Corp., FTC Docket No. C-4120 (Sept. 10, 25

2004), available at http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0423047/040917comp0423047.pdf (alleging

that the company made material changes to its privacy policy and applied such changes to data

collected under the old policy). The FTC’s order requires Gateway to obtain opt-in consent for 

such changes in the future. 

 Staff recommended that companies obtain consumers’ affirmative express consent for 26

material, retroactive changes and for the use of sensitive data because of the increased privacy

concerns raised by the collection and use of such data.

FTC staff encourages continued stakeholder efforts to address the privacy concerns 27

raised by behavioral advertising, but does not endorse any of the specific approaches described

herein.

See Press Release, Yahoo!, Yahoo! Announces New Privacy Choice for Consumers 28

(Aug. 8, 2008), available at

http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=327212; Posting of Rajas

Moonka, Senior Business Product Manager, Google, to

12

consumer. The fourth principle states that companies should obtain affirmative express 25

consent before they use sensitive data – for example, data about children, health, or finances –

for behavioral advertising. Finally, staff’s proposal requested additional information regarding 26

the potential uses of tracking data other than for behavioral advertising, including whether such

secondary uses raise concerns and merit heightened protection.

D. Recent Initiatives to Address Privacy Concerns

Following the Town Hall and the release of the Principles, various individual companies,

industry organizations, and privacy groups have taken steps to address some of the concerns and

issues raised by online behavioral advertising. For example, a number of companies have

developed new policies and procedures to inform consumers about online tracking and provide

additional protections and controls over the practice. In particular, both Google and Yahoo! 27

Inc. (“Yahoo!”) have announced new tools that will allow consumers to opt out of receiving 

targeted online advertisements. Microsoft Corporation has announced that the new version of 28
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-enhancements-on-google-content.html (Aug. 7,

2008, 5:01 EST).

See Gregg Keizer, Microsoft Adds Privacy Tools to IE8, COMPUTERWORLD.COM, Aug. 29

25, 2008,

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=91134

19. As noted above, a coalition of privacy groups also has proposed and continues to support

development of a “Do Not Track List” designed to increase consumer control over the tracking

of their online activities. See Schwartz et al., supra note 24.

See AOL, Privacy Gourmet Page, 30 http://corp.aol.com/o/mr-penguin/ (last visited Jan. 9,

2009); YouTube, Google Search Privacy Playlist,

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=ECB20E29232BCBBA (last visited Jan. 9, 2009).

See Posting of Kim Hart, washingtonpost.com, to 31

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2008/12/yahoo_changes_data-retention_p.html?nav=

rss_blog (Dec. 17, 2008, 13:50 EST) (stating that Yahoo! agreed to shorten online behavioral

data retention periods from thirteen to three months); Posting of Stacey Higginbotham, GigaOM,

to http://gigaom.com/2008/09/09/in-online-privacy-fight-google-blinks/ (Sept. 9, 2008, 7:47 PT)

(stating that Google agreed to reduce storage of search engine inquiries from eighteen to nine

months); see also Microsoft to Cut Search Engine Data Retention to Six Months if Others

Follow, 7 PRIVACY & SEC. LAW REP. 1767 (2008) (stating that Microsoft announced it would

reduce search engine data retention to six months in the European Union if all search companies

agreed to do the same).

See NAI, 2008 NAI Principles Code of Conduct (Dec. 16, 2008), available at 32

http://www.networkadvertising.org/networks/2008%20NAI%20Principles_final%20for%20Web

site.pdf [hereinafter “NAI 2008 Principles”]. In advance of issuing the NAI 2008 Principles,

13

its Internet browser will include a tool that, when enabled by a user, will not save browsing and

searching history, cookies, form data, or passwords, and will automatically clear the browser

cache at the end of each session. Other steps include educational programs to inform 29

consumers about online tracking and new policies to reduce the length of time companies store 30

personal data collected about online searches.31

In December 2008, in response to the criticism of the NAI Principles at the Town Hall

and the FTC’s call for stronger self-regulation, the NAI issued revised principles (“NAI 2008

Principles”). Although NAI has strengthened certain aspects of its self-regulatory regime – 32
NAI issued proposed principles for public comment in April 2008. See NAI, Draft 2008 NAI

Principles (Apr. 10, 2008), available at

http://www.networkadvertising.org/networks/NAI_Principles_2008_Draft_for_Public.pdf. In

some respects, NAI’s proposed principles contained stronger protections than those announced

in December. For example, NAI’s original proposal prohibited the use of certain categories of

sensitive information, including information about children, for behavioral advertising. As

finalized, the NAI 2008 Principles would allow use of these categories of information so long as

consumers (or parents, in the case of children) provide their consent. 

 The NAI 2008 Principles expand the security and access requirements to cover data 33

used for behavioral advertising, as well as data used for practices such as tracking the number of

ads served at a particular website. They also restrict NAI members’ use of behavioral

advertising data to marketing purposes and require that members retain such data only as long as

needed for legitimate business purposes or as required by law. FTC staff commends NAI’s

attempts to strengthen its principles through these and other steps. At the same time, staff notes

that there are areas where NAI may continue to improve. For example, staff notes that the NAI

2008 Principles’ approach to providing notice and choice generally mirrors NAI’s previous

approach – i.e., members may continue to provide notice to consumers through website privacy

policies. For the reasons discussed below, staff encourages companies engaged in online

behavioral advertising to develop mechanisms that allow for prominent disclosure outside

companies’ existing privacy policies. Moreover, because the revisions tie some obligations to

certain language (e.g., “directly engaging” in behavioral advertising) that will be defined through

future implementation guidelines, the impact of these obligations is currently unclear. Similarly,

because NAI plans to issue further guidance regarding the policies and procedures governing its

compliance reviews, questions remain as to whether these reviews, and any penalties that are

ultimately imposed, will be adequate to ensure compliance.

 The initiative includes the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the 34

Association of National Advertisers, the Direct Marketing Association, and the Interactive

Advertising Bureau (“IAB”). See K.C. Jones, Agencies to Self-Regulate Online Behavioral Ads,

14

most notably by dramatically increasing its membership – staff believes that NAI could do more

to ensure the transparency of online behavioral advertising to consumers. Staff also notes that

certain elements of NAI’s revised approach have yet to be clarified through implementation

guidelines, which NAI plans to issue in 2009. More recently, a joint industry task force

33

including marketing and industry trade associations, as well as the Council of Better Business

Bureaus, announced a cooperative effort to develop self-regulatory principles to address privacy

concerns related to online behavioral advertising.34
INFORMATIONWEEK, Jan. 13, 2009, 

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212900156. The IAB, an

organization of companies engaged in online advertising, previously issued a set of privacy

principles recommending that its member companies notify consumers about data collection

practices and provide choice when appropriate. IAB, Privacy Principles (Feb. 24, 2008),

available at http://www.iab.net/iab_products_and_industry_services/1421/1443/1464.

See Kim Hart, A New Voice in Online Privacy, WASH. POST, Nov. 17, 2008, at A06, 35

available at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/16/AR2008111601624.html?na

v=hcmoduletmv.

See CDT, Threshold Analysis for Online Advertising Practices (Jan. 2009), available 36

at http://www.cdt.org/privacy/20090128threshold.pdf.

See TRUSTe, Online Behavioral Advertising: A Checklist of Practices that Impact

37

Consumer Trust, available at http://www.truste.com/about/online_behavioral_advertising.php

(last visited Feb. 3, 2009).

15

Several other organizations have also developed materials to assist online businesses in

identifying and addressing privacy concerns raised by online behavioral advertising. For

example, the Future of Privacy Forum – an advocacy group of privacy scholars, lawyers, and

corporate officials – has launched an initiative to develop new ways to provide consumers with

control over the use of their personal information for online behavioral advertising. The Center 35

for Democracy and Technology (“CDT”) also recently released an assessment tool, developed in

conjunction with internet companies and public interest advocates, to help online companies

evaluate the consumer privacy implications of their online behavioral advertising practices and

to create appropriate, meaningful privacy protections. Finally, TRUSTe, a privacy seal 36

organization, has issued a white paper reviewing the current online behavioral advertising

environment and providing a checklist to assist online companies to address issues raised by

online behavioral advertising, especially those concerning transparency.37

Congress has also expressed concern about the privacy issues raised by online behavioral
Privacy Implications of Online Advertising: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on 38

Commerce, Sci. & Transp., 110th Cong. (2008), available at

http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=e46b

0d9f-562e-41a6-b460-a714bf37017. 

See id. (statement of Lydia Parnes, Director of the FTC Bureau of Consumer 39

Protection).

 Broadband Providers and Consumer Privacy: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on 40

Commerce, Sci. & Transp., 110th Cong. (2008), available at

http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=778

594fe-a171-4906-a585-15f19e2d602a. In the ISP-based behavioral advertising model, a

consumer’s online activities are collected directly from the consumer’s ISP, rather than from the

individual websites the consumer visits. This model, which is also often referred to as “deep

packet inspection,” could potentially allow targeting of ads based on substantially all of the

websites a consumer visits, rather than simply a consumer’s visits to, and activities within, a

given network of websites. See Peter Whoriskey, Every Click You Make, WASH. POST, Apr. 4,

2008, available at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040304052.html.

16

advertising. On July 9, 2008, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

(“Senate Committee”) held a hearing entitled “Privacy Implications of Online Advertising,”

which examined the online advertising industry and the impact of these practices on consumers’

privacy. Witnesses from the FTC, consumer groups, and industry discussed both the methods 38 39

of online behavioral advertising employed by industry and the government’s role in protecting

consumer privacy. The Senate Committee held a follow-up hearing on September 25, 2008,

which focused on behavioral advertising in conjunction with Internet Service Providers

(“ISPs”). Testifying at the second hearing, corporate officers representing Verizon 40

Communications, Inc., AT&T Services, Inc., and Time Warner Cable expressed support for selfregulation by the various entities engaged in online behavioral advertising practices. 

Specifically, these representatives called for a requirement that companies obtain opt-in consent

from consumers before collecting online information for behavioral advertising purposes.
What Your Broadband Provider Knows About Your Web Use: Deep Packet Inspection 41

and Communications Laws and Policies: Hearing Before the H. Subcomm. on Telecomm. & the

Internet, 110th Cong. (2008), available at

http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-ti-hrg.071708.DeepPacket.shtml.

 Letter from John D. Dingell, Chairman of the H. Comm. on Energy & Commerce, et 42

al., to William Bresnan, Chairman & C.E.O. of Bresnan Communications, et al. (Aug. 1, 2008),

available at http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110-ltr.080108.AOL-TILetters.pdf.

 H. Comm. on Energy & Commerce, Responses to Aug. 1, 2008 Letter to Network 43

Operators Regarding Data Collection Practices, available at

http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/080108.ResponsesDataCollectionLetter.shtml (last

visited Jan. 9, 2009). In light of concerns expressed by Congress and others, at least one high

profile company suspended its plans to engage in ISP-based behavioral advertising. See Ellen

Nakashima, NebuAd Halts Plans For Web Tracking, WASH. POST, Sept. 4, 2008, available at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303566.html.

17

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce (“House Committee”), and its

Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet (“Telecommunications Subcommittee”),

also have been active in this area, focusing in particular on ISP-related practices. On July 17,

2008, the Telecommunications Subcommittee held a hearing entitled “What Your Broadband

Provider Knows About Your Web Use: Deep Packet Inspection and Communications Laws and

Policies” that included testimony from industry, experts, and consumer groups. Thereafter, on 41

August 1, 2008, four members of the House Committee issued letters to thirty-four companies

seeking information on their practices with respect to behavioral advertising. The companies’ 42

responses are available online.43

These developments suggest that there is continuing public interest in the issues that

behavioral advertising raises and increasing engagement by industry members in developing

solutions. 
 One trade association comment also suggested that self-regulation at the behest of a 44

governmental entity such as the FTC cannot truly be self-regulatory. In addition, a newspaper

association stated that applying the Principles to a newspaper’s advertising-supported website

would violate the First Amendment because it could affect the selection of content that is

presented to the reader. In response, staff notes that the Commission has often called for, studied

the effectiveness of, and made suggestions for improving self-regulatory schemes, and that such

efforts do not implicate the First Amendment. See, e.g., FTC Report, Marketing Violent

Entertainment to Children: A Fifth Follow-Up Review of Industry Practices in the Motion

Picture, Music Recording & Electronic Game Industries 33 (Apr. 2007), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/reports/violence/070412MarketingViolentEChildren.pdf; FTC Report, SelfRegulation in the Alcohol Industry 25 (June 2008), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/06/080626alcoholreport.pdf.

18

III. SUMMARY OF THE COMMENTS RECEIVED AND STAFF’S ANALYSIS

In response to the proposed Principles, FTC staff received sixty-three comments from

interested parties; because some of the comments represent the views of multiple parties, a total

number of approximately eighty-seven stakeholders participated in the comment process. FTC

staff greatly appreciates the substantial work of the parties that submitted comments. The

comments have helped to clarify the differing perspectives regarding how best to address the

privacy issues that online behavioral advertising raises. 

As a threshold matter, some commenters stated that FTC staff’s call for self-regulation is

unnecessary and that the Principles could interfere with a developing and rapidly changing

marketplace. Others concluded that the Principles do not go far enough and that sweeping 44

legislation is necessary. Between these positions, a majority of the commenters expressed

support for some form of self-regulation. Most commenters also identified certain aspects of the

Principles that, in their view, raise important issues, merit more guidance, or should be changed. 

Set forth below is a summary of the comments arranged by topic. This summary

highlights and discusses the main points and positions represented by the comments as a whole. 

Also included are FTC staff’s responses to these main points, along with additional guidance
See supra note 8 (citing FTC settlements requiring companies to implement reasonable 45

information security programs to protect sensitive personal information).

See In the Matter of Gateway Learning Corp., FTC Docket No. C-4120 (Sept. 10, 46

2004), available at http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0423047/040917comp0423047.pdf.

19

regarding the Principles. The key theme underlying this guidance is the need to balance the

potential benefits of the various practices covered by the Principles against the privacy concerns

the practices raise. Among other things, staff considered consumer expectations regarding the

practices; the extent to which the practices are transparent; the potential for consumer harm; and

the need to maintain vigorous competition in the online marketplace and avoid stifling

innovation. 

In providing this guidance, staff notes that nothing in the discussion is intended to

preclude or discourage the implementation of responsible or “best” practices outside of the

Principles. Staff also notes that some of the Principles closely parallel FTC law and policy,

which continue to apply regardless of the scope or coverage of the Principles. For example,

depending upon on the circumstances, a company whose practices fall outside the Principles

may still be required to implement reasonable measures to address any privacy or security risks

to consumers’ information. Similarly, regardless of the Principles, companies may not 45

unilaterally alter their policies and use previously collected data in a manner that materially

differs from the terms under which the data was originally collected. Companies should also 46

be mindful of the federal and state laws that may apply to their operations. 

Finally, staff notes that the FTC’s work in this area, including its commitment to engage

the public on these issues, will continue beyond this Report. Although the comments provided

considerable information about the various business models and policy issues surrounding
 Traditionally, PII has been defined as information that can be linked to a specific 47

individual including, but not limited to, name, postal address, email address, Social Security

number, or driver’s license number. Non-PII includes anonymous data that, without more,

cannot identify a specific person. See, e.g., June 2000 Report, supra note 10, at 4 & n.14.

20

behavioral advertising, staff has ongoing questions about the precise operation of this

marketplace, particularly as it continues to develop and evolve. In addition, much remains to be

learned about consumers’ awareness, attitudes, and understanding of the practices. Staff

therefore will continue to examine the issues as the market develops and will propose additional

actions as needed. Staff also intends, where appropriate, to initiate investigations of possible

unfair or deceptive acts or practices in this area that would potentially violate Section 5 of the

FTC Act. 

A. The Principles’ Scope

As proposed, the Principles apply broadly to companies engaged in online behavioral

advertising, defined as tracking consumers’ online activities in order to deliver advertising that is

targeted to the individual consumers’ interests. Numerous commenters addressed the Principles’

scope – specifically, the Principles’ applicability to different types of data and different

advertising practices. These commenters emphasized three significant issues: the applicability

of the Principles not only to the collection and use of personally identifiable information (“PII”),

but also of non-personally identifiable information (“non-PII”); the applicability to “first

47

party,” or “intra-site,” collection and use of data; and the applicability to online contextual

advertising. 

1. Applicability to Non-PII

A number of commenters, representing industry groups and individual companies, stated

that because the Principles’ definition of online behavioral advertising fails to distinguish
 An IP address is a numerical identifier assigned to a computer or device that connects 48

to the Internet.

21

between PII and non-PII, the Principles apply too broadly. Claiming that there is little or no

privacy interest in non-PII and a limited potential for harm, these commenters argued that the

FTC should exclude such data from the Principles. The commenters also maintained that

application of the Principles to non-PII would impose significant costs on business and could

interfere with companies’ ability to provide free online content to consumers. 

Similarly, some commenters noted that non-PII has traditionally fallen outside the

bounds of U.S. privacy laws and self-regulatory programs and that the Principles’ inclusion of

such data marks a departure from the Commission’s current approach to privacy issues. Not all

industry comments supported a bright line distinction between PII and non-PII, however. For

instance, an individual company and a seal organization recommended that the Principles

recognize a third category of data – i.e., data that falls in between PII and non-PII. Another

individual company noted that even information that is not considered personally identifying can

raise privacy concerns. 

In contrast to the majority of industry comments, a number of consumer and privacy

groups expressed support for applying the Principles to data typically considered to be non-PII. 

Specifically, these commenters would apply the Principles to such data as Internet Protocol (IP)

addresses, cookie data, and other information that the commenters stated could allow a set of 48

behaviors or actions to be associated with a particular individual or computer user, even if that

individual is never identified by name. 

Staff believes that, in the context of online behavioral advertising, the traditional notion

of what constitutes PII versus non-PII is becoming less and less meaningful and should not, by
See, e.g., July 2000 Report, supra note 11, at 11 n.33 (majority of the Commission 49

recommended online privacy legislation applicable to both PII and non-PII); NAI 2008

Principles, supra note 32, at 3, 7-8 (since 2000, Principles have provided protections for PII and

non-PII); Dingell et al., supra note 42 (seeking information from 34 companies on all aspects of

their online behavioral advertising practices, regardless of whether the practices implicated PII

or non-PII). 

 In recent years, portable devices with multiple built-in functionalities tied to individual 50

consumers have proliferated. These include devices such as “smart” mobile phones that allow

Internet access and email, as well as BlackBerrys and other similar tools. The explosion in the

number of devices in use world-wide is rapidly exhausting the available IP addresses required

for online connectivity. In order to accommodate this growing demand, the market is

undergoing a transition to a new generation of IP addresses – “IPv6.” IPv6 will dramatically

increase the number of unique IP addresses. While improving connectivity, IPv6 will rely more

heavily on static IP addresses, which can link an individual IP address to a particular device that

is associated with a specific individual.

22

itself, determine the protections provided for consumer data. Indeed, in this context, the

Commission and other stakeholders have long recognized that both PII and non-PII raise privacy

issues, a view that has gained even more currency in recent years for a number of reasons. 49

First, depending on the way information is collected and stored, it may be possible to link or

merge non-PII with PII. For example, a website might collect anonymous tracking data and then

link that data with PII (e.g., name, address) that the consumer provided when registering at the

site. Second, with the development of new and more sophisticated technologies, it likely will

become easier to identify an individual consumer based on information traditionally considered

to be non-PII. For instance, although industry has traditionally considered most IP addresses to

be non-PII, it soon may be possible to link more IP addresses to specific individuals.50

Third, even where certain items of information are anonymous by themselves, they can

become identifiable when combined and linked by a common identifier. For example, a

consumer’s Internet activity might reveal the restaurants in the neighborhood where she eats, the

stores at which she shops, the property values of houses recently sold on her block, and the
 This hypothetical is supported by the 2006 incident in which AOL made public some 51

20 million search queries conducted by thousands of subscribers over a three-month period. 

After replacing subscriber names or user IDs with identification numbers in order to protect the

searchers’ anonymity, AOL posted the data for research purposes. The data, which was posted

for about a week, connected the “anonymized” AOL member with his or her search queries, the

number of websites identified by AOL’s search engine as responsive to the search queries, and

the responsive website the individual chose to visit. Using this information, the media was able

to identify, with little additional investigation, at least one individual subscriber and “bloggers”

and other Internet users claimed to be able to identify others. See, e.g., Michael Barbaro & Tom

Zeller, Jr., A Face Is Exposed for AOL Searcher No. 4417749, N.Y. TIMES, Aug. 9, 2006,

available at

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/technology/09aol.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=aol%20queries&

st=cse&oref=slogin; Ellen Nakashima, AOL Takes Down Site With Users’ Search Data, WASH.

POST, Aug. 8, 2006, available at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/07/AR2006080701150.html.

23

medical conditions and prescription drugs she is researching; when combined, such information

would constitute a highly detailed and sensitive profile that is potentially traceable to the

consumer. The storage of such data also creates the risk that it could fall into the wrong hands or

be used later in combination with even richer, more sensitive, data.51

Fourth, in some circumstances, such as when more than one individual in a household

shares or has access to a single computer, the distinction between PII and non-PII may have no

bearing on the privacy risks at issue. For example, one user may visit a website to find

information about a highly personal or sensitive topic, such as the user’s health issues or sexual

preference. In such circumstances, the delivery of advertising associated with that user’s

searches to the shared computer, even if the advertising does not identify the user, could reveal

private information to another user of the same computer. 

Finally, available evidence shows that consumers are concerned about the collection of

their data online, regardless of whether the information is characterized as PII or non-PII. 

Recent survey data suggests that significant percentages of consumers are uncomfortable with
See, e.g., Press Release, Consumers Union, Consumer Reports Poll: Americans 52

Extremely Concerned About Internet Privacy (Sept. 25, 2008), available at

http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/006189.html

(over half of respondents uncomfortable with internet companies using their browsing histories

to send relevant ads or third parties collecting information about their online behavior); Press

Release, Harris Interactive Inc., Majority Uncomfortable with Websites Customizing Content

Based Visitors Personal Profiles (Apr. 10, 2008), available at

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=894 (59% of survey respondents

were “not comfortable” with online behavioral advertising; however, after being shown model

privacy policies, 55% said they would be more comfortable); Press Release, TRUSTe, TRUSTe

Report Reveals Consumer Awareness and Attitudes About Behavioral Targeting (Mar. 26, 2008),

available at http://www.truste.org/about/press_release/03_26_08.php (57% of survey

respondents “not comfortable” with advertisers using browsing history to serve relevant ads,

even when information cannot be tied to their names or other personal information); George

Milne, “Information Exchange Expectations of Consumers, Marketing Managers, and Direct

Marketers” at 3, Ehavioral Advertising: Tracking, Targeting & Technology (Nov. 1, 2007),

available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/ehavioral/presentations/3gmilne.pdf (45% of

respondents think online tracking should not be permitted; 47% would permit tracking with optin or opt-out rights); see also Larry Ponemon, “FTC Presentation on Cookies and Consumer

Permissions” at 11, Ehavioral Advertising: Tracking, Targeting & Technology (Nov. 1, 2007),

available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/ehavioral/presentations/3lponemon.pdf (only

20% of respondents would voluntarily permit marketers to share buying behavior with third

parties to project future buying decisions).

 See, e.g., AOL is Sued Over Privacy Breach, L.A. TIMES, Sept. 26, 2006, at C2, 53

available at http://articles.latimes.com/2006/sep/26/business/fi-aol26; Barbaro & Zeller, Jr.,

supra note 51; Michael Arrington, AOL Proudly Releases Massive Amounts of Private Data,

TechCrunch, Aug. 6, 2006, http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/08/06/aol-proudly-releasesmassive-amounts-of-user-search-data/all-comments/. The AOL incident highlights the

difficulties in making data truly anonymous. Simply eliminating name, contact information, or

24

having their online activities tracked for purposes of delivering advertisements, even where the

data collected is not personally identifiable. Further, many consumers reacted strongly to the 52

AOL incident, described above, in which AOL made public purportedly anonymous data about

its subscribers’ online activities. Upon learning that the data had been posted online, these

consumers expressed surprise and concern that the company stored data about their online

activities – and stored it in a way that allowed the data to be associated, at least in some cases,

with particular individuals. 

53
other traditional PII may not be sufficient. For example, a study conducted in 2000 used U.S.

Census summary data to find that 87% of the U.S. population could likely be uniquely identified

based only on three pieces of data: a 5-digit zip code; gender; and date of birth. Latanya

Sweeney, Abstract, Uniqueness of Simple Demographics in the U.S. Population (Carnegie

Mellon U., Laboratory for Int’l Data Privacy 2000), available at

http://privacy.cs.cmu.edu/dataprivacy/papers/LIDAP-WP4abstract.html; see also Bruce

Schneier, Why “Anonymous” Data Sometimes Isn’t, WIRED, Dec. 13, 2007, available at

http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2007/12/securitymatters_12

13 (describing University of Texas experiments with de-anonymized Netflix data); Latanya

Sweeney, Comments to the Department of Health and Human Services on “Standards of Privacy

of Individually Identifiable Health Information” (Apr. 26, 2002), available at

http://privacy.cs.cmu.edu/dataprivacy/HIPAA/HIPAAcomments.pdf (describing experiments on

a state’s anonymized cancer registry).

 As discussed below, staff has limited the scope of the Principles in several ways that 54

also limit their application to data traditionally considered to be non-PII. See discussion infra

Parts III.A.2 and 3.

25

In staff’s view, the best approach is to include within the Principles’ scope any data

collected for online behavioral advertising that reasonably could be associated with a particular

consumer or with a particular computer or device. Whether information “reasonably could be

associated” with a particular consumer or device will depend on the factual circumstances and 

available technologies, but would include, for example: clickstream data that, through

reasonable efforts, could be combined with the consumer’s website registration information;

individual pieces of anonymous data combined into a profile sufficiently detailed that it could

become identified with a particular person; and behavioral profiles that, while not associated

with a particular consumer, are stored and used to deliver personalized advertising and content to

a particular device. Such an approach will ensure protections for consumer data that raises a 54

consumer privacy interest without imposing undue costs where data is truly anonymous and

privacy concerns are minimal. As noted above, this is also consistent with NAI’s approach, the

predominant industry self-regulatory model, which has mandated protections for both PII and
26

non-PII since 2000.

2. Applicability to “First Party” Online Behavioral Advertising 

The Principles’ applicability to “first party,” or “intra-site,” online behavioral advertising

also generated numerous comments, primarily from industry groups and individual companies. 

Most of these commenters objected to the Principles’ application to behavioral advertising by,

and at, a single website. Instead, they urged the Commission to limit the Principles to practices

that involve the tracking of consumers’ activities across different websites. These commenters

argued that “first party” collection and use of consumer information is transparent and consistent

with consumer expectations. Additionally, the commenters described a variety of services and

operations, valued by consumers, that require “first party” data collection and use. These

include product recommendations, tailored content, shopping cart services, website design and

optimization, fraud detection, and security. 

Some commenters, including an individual company and a seal organization, recognized

that the tracking of consumers across multiple sites raises increased concern, but did not support

excluding “first party” practices from self-regulation entirely. Other commenters, including an

individual company and several consumer groups, generally supported the Principles’

application to “first party” behavioral advertising. 

After considering the comments, staff agrees that “first party” behavioral advertising

practices are more likely to be consistent with consumer expectations, and less likely to lead to

consumer harm, than practices involving the sharing of data with third parties or across multiple

websites. For example, under the “first party” model, a consumer visiting an online retailer’s

website may receive a recommendation for a product based upon the consumer’s prior purchases

or browsing activities at that site (e.g., “based on your interest in travel, you might enjoy the
 Staff notes that to the extent that these functions do not involve the tracking of 55

consumers’ online activities in order to deliver advertising based on those activities, they do not

constitute online behavioral advertising and thus already fall outside the Principles’ scope.

27

following books”). In such case, the tracking of the consumer’s online activities in order to

deliver a recommendation or advertisement tailored to the consumer’s inferred interests involves

a single website where the consumer has previously purchased or looked at items. Staff believes

that, given the direct relationship between the consumer and the website, the consumer is likely

to understand why he has received the targeted recommendation or advertisement and indeed

may expect it. The direct relationship also puts the consumer in a better position to raise any

concerns he has about the collection and use of his data, exercise any choices offered by the

website, or avoid the practice altogether by taking his business elsewhere. By contrast, when

behavioral advertising involves the sharing of data with ad networks or other third parties, the

consumer may not understand why he has received ads from unknown marketers based on his

activities at an assortment of previously visited websites. Moreover, he may not know whom to

contact to register his concerns or how to avoid the practice. 

In addition, staff agrees that “first party” collection and use of consumer data may be

necessary for a variety of consumer benefits and services. These include not only personalized

content and other elements of the interactive online experience that consumers may value, but

also important internal functions such as security measures, fraud prevention, and legal

compliance.

55

Finally, maintaining data for internal use only also limits the risk that the data will fall

into the wrong hands. For that reason, privacy schemes in varied contexts have distinguished

between a site’s internal use of data and the sharing of data with third parties, imposing stronger
For instance, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (“COPPA Rule”) 56

recognizes that sharing of children’s personal information with third parties raises more concern

than use of the information simply for internal purposes. For this reason the COPPA Rule

requires that website operators obtain the highest level of verifiable parental consent where such

information is shared and, where possible, that the website enable parents to choose whether to

allow sharing. See 16 C.F.R. § 312.4 (2006); Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, 64 Fed.

Reg. 59,888, 59,899 (Nov. 3, 1999), available at http://www.ftc.gov/os/1999/10/64fr59888.pdf.

See also Direct Marketing Assocation (“DMA”), Direct Marketing Association’s Online

Marketing Guidelines and Do the Right Thing Commentary (Jan. 2002), available at

http://www.the-dma.org/guidelines/onlineguidelines.shtml (recommending choice when data is

shared with third parties).

 Staff notes that some of the principles are based on existing Commission case law and 57

policy. As such, a company engaged in first party practices may still be required to provide

reasonable security for the consumer data it collects and maintains. Additionally, depending

upon the specific circumstances, a company may be precluded from using previously collected

data in a way that conflicts with the privacy promises in effect at the time the company collected

the data.

 To the extent that websites share data with third-party service providers in order to

58

deliver ads or perform some of the internal functions described above, such sharing will still be

considered “first party” use, provided there is no further use of the data by the service provider.

 Several commenters argue that data collection and use within a family of websites – 59

e.g., sites under common ownership or control – should be considered “first party” for purposes

of the Principles. The commenters stated that consumers will save costs due to partnering

arrangements, that consumers expect and want the additional marketing opportunities created

through data sharing among affiliated websites, and that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the

“GLB Act”) allows financial institutions to share data with affiliates. 

Staff believes that whether data sharing among affiliated companies should be considered

“first party,” and thus outside the scope of the Principles, should turn on whether the relationship

among the sites – and the possibility that they may share data – is sufficiently transparent and

28

privacy protections for the latter. Staff believes that the same distinction holds true here.

56

Based on these considerations, staff agrees that it is not necessary to include “first party”

behavioral advertising practices within the scope of the Principles. If a website collects and 57

then sells or shares data with third parties for purposes of behavioral advertising, or participates 58

in a network that collects data at the site for purposes of behavioral advertising, however, such

practices would remain within the scope of the Principles. 

59
consistent with reasonable consumer expectations. For instance, although one might expect that

Citibank and Citifinancial are closely linked entities, the link between affiliates Smith Barney

and Citibank is likely to be much less obvious. Such a determination will depend upon the

particular circumstances. Staff also notes that the GLB Act does not, in fact, address affiliate

sharing among financial institutions; rather, the Fair Credit Reporting Act governs affiliate

sharing and allows consumers to opt out of sharing certain data with affiliates. See 15 U.S.C.

§§ 1681a(d)(2)(A), 1681s-3 (2003). 

29

3. Applicability to Contextual Advertising 

Numerous commenters, representing both industry and consumer groups, recommended

that the Commission revise the Principles’ behavioral advertising definition to expressly exclude

contextual advertising. These commenters explained that online contextual advertising differs

from behaviorally targeted advertising because it is based only on the content of a particular

website or search query, rather than on information about the consumer collected over time. For

example, where a consumer is shown an advertisement for tennis rackets solely because he is

visiting a tennis-focused website or has used a search engine to find stores that sell tennis

rackets, the advertisement is contextual. 

The commenters described contextual advertising as transparent and consistent with

consumers’ expectations, similar to the “first party” practices discussed above. They also stated

that, rather than being surprised by the practice, consumers expect and want to receive an ad for

a product or service when visiting a website that is related to that product or service. 

Additionally, a number of commenters noted that contextual advertising creates fewer risks to

privacy because the practice does not rely on the collection of detailed information about the

consumer’s actions over time. One group of consumer and privacy advocates also stated that

excluding contextual advertising from the Principles may provide companies with an incentive

to store less data about consumers.
 As discussed with respect to first party practices, companies engaged in online 60

contextual advertising may still be subject to laws and policies that impose obligations outside of

the Principles. See supra note 57. 

30

In general, the comments described online contextual advertising as the delivery of ads

based upon a consumer’s current visit to a single web page or a single search query, without the

collection and retention of data about the consumer’s online activities over time. Based on this

description, staff agrees that contextual advertising provides greater transparency than other

forms of behavioral advertising, is more likely to be consistent with consumer expectations, and

presents minimal privacy intrusion when weighed against the potential benefits to consumers. 

As discussed above, these benefits may include free content – made possible by the revenue

from the sale of the advertisements – and receipt of contextually relevant ads that consumers

may value. Staff consequently does not believe that it is necessary for the Principles to cover

this form of online advertising. It should be stressed that, based on the comments and other 60

considerations, staff has defined contextual advertising narrowly. Where a practice involves the

collection and retention of consumer data for future purposes beyond the immediate delivery of

an ad or search result, the practice does not constitute contextual advertising. 

B. Transparency and Consumer Control

Numerous commenters – including individual consumers, industry representatives, and

consumer and privacy advocates – discussed the first proposed principle, which calls for greater

transparency and consumer control of online behavioral advertising practices. Specifically, FTC

staff proposed that websites where data is collected for behavioral advertising should provide

prominent notice to consumers about such practices and should also offer consumers the ability

to choose whether to allow such collection and use. In discussing this principle, commenters
 These commenters cited self-regulatory regimes such as DMA’s “Online Marketing 61

Guidelines,” IAB’s “Interactive Advertising Privacy Principles,” and the NAI Principles. 

 Some commenters also state that encouraging companies to provide choice for the 62

mere collection of data is inconsistent with existing legal and self-regulatory regimes, which

focus on choice in connection with particular uses of data. In fact, the Principles focus on the

collection of data for behavioral advertising, which presumes both collection and use (or at least

intended use) for that purpose. Further, the central goal of the Principles is to minimize potential

misuses of data, including uses of data that could cause harm or are contrary to consumer

expectations. Nevertheless, because many of the privacy concerns raised about behavioral

31

focused primarily on two issues: whether to provide choice for the collection and use of non-PII,

and how best to provide disclosures about the practices.

1. Choice for Non-PII

The commenters generally agreed that companies should notify consumers when they are

collecting information about consumers’ online activities for behavioral advertising. Indeed,

several commenters noted that existing self-regulatory regimes currently require such notice. 

61

Some industry trade groups and an individual company, however, stated that the first principle

goes too far in proposing choice for the collection of non-PII. In general, these commenters

made the same arguments with respect to choice for non-PII that are discussed above with

respect to the overall scope of the Principles: that choice for non-PII is inconsistent with

existing self-regulatory privacy schemes and laws; that there is a reduced privacy interest in, and

risk of harm from, non-PII; and that choice will interfere with the free content and other benefits

that online behavioral advertising offers. Some commenters also noted that consumers already

have the ability to choose not to conduct business with websites that collect their data. These

commenters suggested that consumers do not own the data that websites collect about them, and

that there is no precedent for giving consumers the ability to dictate the terms upon which they

use a website.62
advertising relate directly to information collection – including the invisibility of the practice

and the risk that sensitive data, once collected, could fall into the wrong hands – staff believes

that it is important to protect the data at the time of collection.

 The proposed Principles do not specify whether this choice would be opt-in or opt-out 63

choice – just that it be clear, easy-to-use, and accessible to consumers. As discussed below,

however, the Principles do specify affirmative express consent (opt-in) for uses of data that raise

heightened privacy concerns – specifically, material changes affecting the use of previously

collected data and the use of sensitive consumer data.

See supra note 24. 64

32

In contrast, various consumer and privacy interest groups, as well as a number of

individual consumers, supported the concept of choice for the collection and use of non-PII for

behavioral advertising and several asserted that the principle should go even further. Some of

these commenters called for an opt-in choice before data is collected and recommended that 63

consumers receive clear notice about the purpose for which their data is collected. A coalition of

consumer groups described the principle as inadequate and recommended the “Do Not Track”

registry to allow consumers to limit online tracking. Individual consumers also submitted 64

comments expressing support for notice and the ability to control whether to allow collection of

information about their online activities. One consumer stated that companies should be

required to obtain permission to collect data regardless of how they use it. 

For the reasons discussed above with respect to the Principles’ overall scope, FTC staff

believes that companies should provide consumer choice for the collection of data for online

behavioral advertising if the data reasonably could be associated with a particular consumer or

with a particular computer or device. As noted, the line separating PII and non-PII has become

increasingly indistinct, and the predominant industry self-regulatory program has already

adopted an approach that protects both types of information. Available research also suggests
33

that consumers are concerned about their data collected online, regardless of whether it is

characterized as PII or non-PII. Finally, because staff has clarified that the Principles do not

cover “first party” and “contextual” advertising, the costs of providing choice should be

significantly less than stated in some comments. 

2. Providing Effective Notice and Choice

Many commenters also addressed the issue of how businesses engaged in behavioral

advertising should notify and offer choice to consumers concerning the collection and use of

their data. Several companies stated that the appropriate location for any disclosure regarding

online behavioral advertising is the website’s privacy policy, and suggested that additional or

alternative mechanisms for such disclosures could confuse consumers or encumber online

functions. These commenters argued that consumers expect to find information on data

practices in privacy policies and that this existing framework effectively informs consumers. 

Other companies and some privacy advocates highlighted the need for additional disclosure

mechanisms beyond the privacy policy and suggested various options, such as: (i) providing

“just-in-time” notice at the point at which a consumer’s action triggers data collection; (ii)

placing a text prompt next to, or imbedded in, the advertisement; and (iii) placing a prominent

disclosure on the website that links to the relevant area within the site’s privacy policy for a

more detailed description. 

A number of consumer and privacy groups’ comments focused on the content of the

disclosures and suggested that, in order for notice and consent to be effective, websites should

not only disclose that information is collected, but should also specify the type of information

collected, its uses, how long it will be retained, and with whom it will be shared. Other

commenters – including an individual consumer and an online advertising company – suggested
See supra note 3. 65

34

that the use of standard or uniform disclosures would make disclosures more effective and would

increase consumers’ understanding of data collection practices. A group of privacy and

consumer advocates recommended that, where a consumer opts out of behavioral advertising,

companies should honor that choice until the consumer decides to opt in and should not attempt

to circumvent the consumer’s choice through technological means. These commenters also

called on companies to allow consumers to view and change their choices at any time. 

Another comment, filed by two academics, discussed the inherent problem with using

cookies both to track consumers’ online activities and to record consumers’ choice of whether 65

to allow such tracking. These commenters noted that where consumers take steps to control the

privacy of their online activities, through the use of anti-spyware software or by deleting cookies

from their computer browsers, the consumers may unintentionally also block or delete the

cookies that record their behavioral advertising preference. The commenters suggested possible

solutions to this problem, including the development of standards for distinguishing between

opt-out cookies and other types of cookies and modifying browser settings to give consumers

greater control over their cookies.

Several companies also requested guidance regarding the form and content of notice in

different contexts – such as on mobile devices, on “Web 2.0,” and through ISPs – and questioned

whether a uniform or standard approach can be created. For example, commenters raised

questions regarding the mechanics of providing notice and choice in the Web 2.0 world, where a

consumer may use several different third-party applications on a single, unrelated host web page. 

Some commenters raised issues regarding appropriate notice in the mobile context. Others
Specifically, one commenter noted that, where data about a consumer’s online 66

activities is collected through the ISP rather than from individual websites that the consumer

visits (see discussion supra note 40), the company collecting the data does not have a direct

relationship with the websites. Therefore, the company is not in a position to require the sites to

provide consumers with notice and choice about data collection and use for behavioral

advertising. Consequently, this commenter suggested that the Principles should contemplate

notice and choice mechanisms outside the website context. 

See, e.g., Jon Leibowitz, Commissioner, FTC, Remarks at the FTC Town Hall Meeting 67

on “Ehavioral Advertising: Tracking, Targeting, & Technology” at 4-5 (Nov. 1, 2007), available

at http://www.ftc.gov/speeches/leibowitz/071031ehavior.pdf;

Nov. 1 Transcript, supra note 21, at 200-253 (Session 5: Roundtable Discussions of Data

Collection, Use and Protection); Nov. 2 Transcript, supra note 23, at 9-94 (Session 6:

Disclosures to Consumers).

35

stated that, as proposed, the transparency and control principle would exclude certain business

models, including where an ISP collects, or allows a third party to collect, consumers’ online

data. With respect to ISP-based behavioral advertising, these commenters recommended that 66

the principle permit notice through direct communication from the ISP to its subscribers rather

than on a website. 

The differing perspectives on how best to provide consumers with effective notice and

choice highlight the complexities surrounding this issue. Staff recognizes that it is now

customary to include most privacy disclosures in a website’s privacy policy. Unfortunately, as

noted by many of the commenters and by many participants at the FTC’s November 2007 Town

Hall, privacy policies have become long and difficult to understand, and may not be an effective

way to communicate information to consumers. Staff therefore encourages companies to 67

design innovative ways – outside of the privacy policy – to provide behavioral advertising

disclosures and choice options to consumers. 

A number of the commenters’ recommendations appear promising. For example, a

disclosure (e.g., “why did I get this ad?”) that is located in close proximity to an advertisement
See, e.g., FTC Bureau of Economics Staff Report, Improving Consumer Mortgage 68

Disclosures: An Empirical Assessment of Current and Prototype Disclosure Forms (June 2007),

36

and links to the pertinent section of a privacy policy explaining how data is collected for

purposes of delivering targeted advertising, could be an effective way to communicate with

consumers. Indeed, such a disclosure is likely to be far more effective than a discussion (even a

clear one) that is buried within a company’s privacy policy. Further, as described above, some

businesses have already begun to experiment with designing other creative and effective

disclosure mechanisms. Staff encourages these efforts and notes that they may be most effective

if combined with consumer education programs that explain not only what information is

collected from consumers and how it is used, but also the tradeoffs involved – that is, what

consumers obtain in exchange for allowing the collection and use of their personal information.

With respect to the concern about using cookies to allow consumers to exercise their

control over whether to allow behavioral advertising, staff encourages interested parties to

examine this issue and explore potential standards and other tools to assist consumers. 

Moreover, as to some commenters’ call for guidance on the mechanics of disclosures outside the

website context, staff notes that different business models may require different types of

disclosures and different methods for providing consumer choice. Staff therefore calls upon

industry to develop self-regulatory regimes for these business models that effectively implement

the transparency and consumer control principle. Regardless of the particular business model

involved, the disclosures should clearly and prominently inform consumers about the practice

and provide them with meaningful, accessible choice.

Finally, staff notes that research suggests that it is important to test proposed disclosures

to ensure that they serve their intended purpose. Staff therefore encourages stakeholders to 68
available at http://www.ftc.gov/os/2007/06/P025505MortgageDisclosureReport.pdf; Kleimann

Comm. Group, Inc., Evolution of a Prototype Financial Privacy Notice: A Report on the Form

Development Project (Feb. 28, 2006), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/privacyinitiatives/ftcfinalreport060228.pdf.

37

conduct empirical research to explore the effects of possible disclosures on consumer

understanding in this area.

C. Reasonable Security and Limited Data Retention for Consumer Data

Commenters also discussed the second proposed principle, which calls upon companies

to provide reasonable security for, and limited retention of, consumer data collected for

behavioral advertising purposes. 

A number of companies generally supported this principle as drafted. Echoing the

arguments raised about the Principles’ applicability to non-PII, other companies, as well as

industry groups, recommended that the Commission limit the application of this principle to PII. 

These commenters also called for more flexibility in applying this principle, and stated that data

retention should not constitute a separate, stand-alone principle; instead, according to these

commenters, data retention should be viewed as one possible component of an effective security

program. Several industry commenters suggested that the principle should allow companies to

consider various factors in evaluating appropriate data retention periods, and should refrain from

imposing a uniform requirement. 

Although the consumer groups generally supported this principle as proposed, some

argued that the FTC should strengthen certain aspects of the principle. Individual consumers and

one privacy group suggested that the principle is too vague and should provide more detailed and

precise security standards. Two privacy groups stated that companies should retain data only as

long as needed to fulfill the identified use for which the company collected the data. Other
 See, e.g., Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information, 16 C.F.R. Part 314 (2002). 

69

Information about the FTC’s data security program and enforcement actions can be found at

http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/.

38

proposals included a requirement that companies anonymize all retained data, a requirement that

data be retained for no longer than six months, and a suggestion that the FTC hold a workshop to

explore issues related to the appropriate data retention standard. 

For the reasons addressed above, staff believes the Principles should apply to all data

collected and used for behavioral advertising that reasonably could be associated with a

particular consumer or with a particular computer or device. Staff recognizes, however, that

there is a range of sensitivities within this class of data, with the most sensitive data warranting

the greatest protection. Accordingly, as proposed, the data security principle stated that,

consistent with existing data security laws and the FTC’s many data security enforcement

actions, the “protections should be based on the sensitivity of the data [and] the nature of a 69

company’s business operations, the types of risks a company faces, and the reasonable

protections available to a company.” Staff believes that this scalable standard addresses the

commenters’ concerns while also ensuring appropriate protections for consumer data. Staff

therefore retains this language in the Principles without change. 

Staff agrees with many of the commenters, however, that data retention is one component

in the reasonable security calculus, rather than a separate, stand-alone principle, and has clarified

the principle to reflect this position. The intent behind the principle remains unchanged,

however: companies should retain data only as long as is necessary to fulfill a legitimate

business or law enforcement need. As noted above, over the past year some companies have

changed their data retention policies to reduce substantially the length of time they maintain
39

information about consumers’ online activities. Staff commends such efforts.

D. Affirmative Express Consent for Material Retroactive Changes to Privacy

Promises

Many commenters discussed the material change principle, which calls upon companies

to obtain affirmative express consent before they use data in a manner that is materially different

from the promises the company made at the time of collection. A number of industry

commenters objected to this principle as proposed. These commenters called for more flexibility

so that companies, in determining the type of notice and choice to offer consumers, can take into

account the type of data affected and its sensitivity. The commenters argued that requiring

notice and opt-in choice for material changes with respect to all types of data is not only

unnecessary, but also is technologically unworkable, and could cause consumer confusion and

inconvenience. Additionally, several of these commenters stated that, as proposed, this principle

goes beyond FTC case law and existing self-regulatory regimes and statutes. Other commenters

expressed concern that this principle will be applied to prospective changes to companies’

practices and noted that such changes should, at most, require opt-out consent. 

By contrast, consumer and privacy groups, as well as an individual consumer, expressed

strong support for this principle as proposed. One consumer organization acknowledged that a

business may have legitimate reasons for altering its privacy promises and stated that the

principle strikes the proper balance between consumers’ interests in reliable promises and

industry’s need for flexibility. This commenter expressed concern, however, about the use of

“pre-checked” boxes and similar mechanisms to obtain opt-in consent, and noted that such
 Staff agrees that pre-checked boxes and choice mechanisms that are buried within a 70

lengthy privacy policy or a uniform licensing agreement are insufficient to express a consumer’s

“affirmative express consent.” See, e.g., Deborah Platt Majoras, Chairman, FTC, Remarks at the

Anti-Spyware Coalition at 7 (Feb. 9, 2006), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/speeches/majoras/060209cdtspyware.pdf (“[B]urying critical information in

the End User License Agreement (“EULA”) does not satisfy the requirement for clear and

conspicuous disclosure. Buried disclosures do not work.”); FTC Publication, Dot Com

Disclosures: Information About Online Advertising at 5 (May 2000), available at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus41.pdf (“Making [a] disclosure

available . . . so that consumers who are looking for the information might find it doesn’t meet

the clear and conspicuous standard . . . . [D]isclosures must be communicated effectively so that

consumers are likely to notice and understand them.”) (emphasis in original); see also FTC

Policy Statement on Deception at Part III, appended to In the Matter of Cliffdale Assocs., Inc.,

103 F.T.C. 110, 174 (1984), available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/policystmt/ad-decept.htm (fine

print disclosures not adequate to cure deception). 

See, e.g., FTC v. Toysmart.com, LLC, No. 00-11341-RGS (D. Mass. filed July 10, 71

2000) (alleging that company violated privacy promises); In the Matter of Life is good, Inc., FTC

Docket No. C-4218 (Apr. 16, 2008) (alleging that company violated promises about the security

provided for customer data); In the Matter of Petco Animal Supplies, Inc., FTC Docket No.

C-4133 (Mar. 4, 2005) (same); In the Matter of MTS Inc., d/b/a Tower Records/Books/Video,

FTC Docket No. C-4110 (May 28, 2004) (same); In the Matter of Educ. Research Ctr. of Am.,

FTC Docket No. C-4079 (May 6, 2003) (alleging that company violated privacy promises); In

the Matter of Microsoft Corp., FTC Docket No. C-4069 (Dec. 20, 2002) (alleging that company

violated privacy and security promises).

See, e.g., In the Matter of Gateway Learning Corp., FTC Docket No. C-4120 (Sept. 10, 72

2004); see also In the Matter of Orkin Exterminating Co., 108 F.T.C. 263 (1986).

40

mechanisms might not reflect consumers’ actual intent.70

It is fundamental FTC law and policy that companies must deliver on promises they

make to consumers about how their information is collected, used, and shared. An important 71

corollary is that a company cannot use data in a manner that is materially different from

promises the company made when it collected the data without first obtaining the consumer’s

consent. Otherwise, the promise has no meaning. Staff recognizes, however, that a business 72

may have a legitimate need to change its privacy policy from time to time, especially in the

dynamic online marketplace. In addition, minor changes to a company’s data practices may be
 Under Commission law and policy, the term “material” refers to whether a practice, or 73

information about a practice, is likely to affect a consumer’s conduct or decisions with regard to

a product or service. See FTC Policy Statement on Deception, supra note 70, at Part IV.

Similarly, a “material change” refers to a change in a company’s practices that, if known to the

consumer, would likely affect the consumer’s conduct or decisions with respect to the

company’s products or services.

 Many companies provide some form of prominent notice and opt-out choice for 74

prospective changes – by sending an email notice to their customers, for example, or providing a

prominent notice on the landing page of their website. Depending on the circumstances, such an

approach may be sufficient. Of course, in deciding how to address prospective material changes,

companies must consider such factors as: what claims were made in the original privacy policy,

the sensitivity of the information at issue, and the need to ensure that any repeat visitors to a

website are sufficiently alerted to the change. 

41

immaterial to consumers and may not warrant the costs and burdens of obtaining consumers’

consent. 

For these reasons, the material change principle is limited to changes that are both 

material and retroactive. Depending upon a company’s initial privacy promises, a material 73

change could include, for example: (i) using data for different purposes than described at the

time of collection, or (ii) sharing data with third parties, contrary to promises made at the time of

collection. A retroactive change is a change in a company’s policies or practices that a company

applies to previously collected data. This would include, for example, the situation where a

company makes a material change to its privacy policy and then uses previously collected data in

a manner consistent with the new policy, but not the old one. A retroactive change does not

include the circumstance where a company changes its privacy policy and then proceeds to

collect and use new data under the new policy. Staff agrees that the latter type of change –

which would constitute a prospective change – may not raise the same concerns as a retroactive

change, and may therefore call for a more flexible approach. 

74

Staff has revised the material change principle to make clear that it applies to retroactive
 The sensitivity of precise geographic location information was also discussed at a panel 75

on mobile “location-based services” during the FTC’s 2008 Town Hall on mobile marketing. 

See Transcript of Town Hall Record, Beyond Voice: Mapping the Mobile Marketplace (May 6,

2008) (Session 4, “Location-Based Services”), available at

http://htc-01.media.globix.net/COMP008760MOD1/ftc_web/transcripts/050608_sess4.pdf.

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changes only. 

E. Affirmative Express Consent to (or Prohibition Against) Use of 

Sensitive Data

The fourth principle states that companies should only collect sensitive data for

behavioral advertising after they obtain affirmative express consent from the consumer to

receive the advertising. Many of the commenters who discussed this principle raised the issue of

how to define the types of information that should be considered sensitive. Some commenters

also questioned whether affirmative express consent is the appropriate standard or whether

behavioral advertising based on sensitive data should be prohibited altogether. 

Various commenters discussed the lack of agreement regarding the definition of

“sensitive,” and noted that whether specific information is considered sensitive can depend upon

the context and the individual consumer’s perspective. Other comments – including those filed

on behalf of scientific and medical organizations, industry groups, and privacy and consumer

advocates – listed specific categories of information that should be considered sensitive. 

According to these commenters, the categories include information about children and

adolescents, medical information, financial information and account numbers, Social Security

numbers, sexual orientation information, government-issued identifiers, and precise geographic

location. 

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Despite the lack of agreement on the definition of “sensitive data,” there appears to be

consensus that such data merits some form of heightened protection. Different commenters,
 These commenters specifically cited the COPPA Rule (children’s information), the 76

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) (health information), and the

GLB Act (financial information). 

43

however, provided differing views on the necessary level of protection. Several individual

companies and industry groups objected to an opt-in approach. These commenters stated that

opt-in consent for the collection of sensitive data for online behavioral advertising is too

burdensome and is unnecessary in light of existing regulatory regimes. Others stated that the 76

uncertainty over how to classify sensitive data makes an opt-in approach difficult to implement

and enforce.

Another group of commenters, including business and consumer groups, supported an

affirmative express consent standard for certain sensitive data. They reasoned that such a

standard strikes the correct balance and would allow those consumers who value advertising

based on sensitive information to receive it.

 A third group of commenters, including individual consumers, businesses, consumer

groups, and a state government agency, supported a ban on behavioral advertising based on

sensitive data. These commenters cited the risk of harm from sensitive data falling into the

wrong hands. Other commenters recommended banning the use of specific types of sensitive

data, such as information about children. Finally, a number of commenters called for additional

examination of the issue, including discussion about how to define what constitutes sensitive

data. 

Given the heightened privacy concerns and the potential for significant consumer harm

from the misuse of sensitive data, staff continues to believe that affirmative express consent is
 As discussed previously, supra note 70, pre-checked boxes or disclosures that are 77

buried in a privacy policy or a uniform licensing agreement are unlikely to be sufficiently

prominent to obtain a consumer’s “affirmative express consent.”

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warranted. Indeed, this protection is particularly important in the context of online behavioral

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advertising, where data collection is typically invisible to consumers who may believe that they

are searching anonymously for information about medications, diseases, sexual orientation, or

other highly sensitive topics. Moreover, contrary to the suggestions in the comments, existing

statutory regimes do not address most types of online behavioral advertising or the privacy

concerns that such advertising raises. 

With respect to defining what constitutes sensitive data, staff agrees with the commenters

that such a task is complex and may often depend on the context. Although financial data, data

about children, health information, precise geographic location information, and Social Security

numbers are the clearest examples, staff encourages industry, consumer and privacy advocates,

and other stakeholders to develop more specific standards to address this issue. Staff also

encourages stakeholders to consider whether there may be certain categories of data that are so

sensitive that they should never be used for behavioral advertising.

F. Secondary Uses

Relatively few commenters responded to the Principles’ call for information regarding

the use of tracking data for purposes other than behavioral advertising. Most of the industry

commenters that did address this question focused on such internal uses as website design and

optimization, content customization, research and development, fraud detection, and security. 

For the reasons discussed above, staff believes that such “first party” or “intra-site” uses are

unlikely to raise privacy concerns warranting the protections of the Principles. Other businesses
 Where companies are using tracking data for non-behavioral advertising purposes, such 78

uses may involve sharing the data with third parties. If so, the notice and choice that a company

provides concerning such sharing may address at least some of the concerns raised about

secondary uses. A secondary use may also constitute a retroactive “material change” to a

company’s existing privacy policy, in which case consumers could choose whether to provide

affirmative express consent to the change.

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and some consumer groups cited potential harmful secondary uses, including selling personally

identifiable behavioral data, linking click stream data to PII from other sources, or using

behavioral data to make credit or insurance decisions. These commenters noted, however, that

such uses do not appear to be well-documented. Some commenters recommended that the FTC

seek more information regarding secondary uses, including the extent to which the collection of

data by third-party applications operating on a host website constitutes secondary use. 

Given the dearth of responses to staff’s request for specific information, it is unclear

whether companies currently use tracking data for non-behavioral advertising purposes other

than the internal operations identified above. Staff therefore does not propose to address this 78

issue in the Principles at this time. Staff agrees with some of the commenters, however, that the

issue of secondary use merits additional consideration and dialogue. Therefore, as staff

continues its work on behavioral advertising, it will seek more information on this issue and

consider further revisions to the Principles as needed. 

IV. REVISED PRINCIPLES

Based upon the staff’s analysis of the comments discussing the Principles as initially

proposed, and taking into account the key themes enumerated above, staff has revised the

Principles. For purposes of clarification, the new language is set forth below in bold and italics. 

As noted above, these Principles are guidelines for self-regulation and do not affect the

obligation of any company (whether or not covered by the Principles) to comply with all
46

applicable federal and state laws.

A. Definition

For purposes of the Principles, online behavioral advertising means the tracking of a

consumer’s online activities over time – including the searches the consumer has conducted, the

web pages visited, and the content viewed – in order to deliver advertising targeted to the

individual consumer’s interests. This definition is not intended to include “first party”

advertising, where no data is shared with third parties, or contextual advertising, where an ad

is based on a single visit to a web page or single search query.

B. Principles

1. Transparency and Consumer Control

Every website where data is collected for behavioral advertising should provide a clear,

concise, consumer-friendly, and prominent statement that (1) data about consumers’ activities

online is being collected at the site for use in providing advertising about products and services

tailored to individual consumers’ interests, and (2) consumers can choose whether or not to have

their information collected for such purpose. The website should also provide consumers with a

clear, easy-to-use, and accessible method for exercising this option. Where the data collection

occurs outside the traditional website context, companies should develop alternative methods

of disclosure and consumer choice that meet the standards described above (i.e., clear,

prominent, easy-to-use, etc.)

2. Reasonable Security, and Limited Data Retention, for Consumer Data

Any company that collects and/or stores consumer data for behavioral advertising should

provide reasonable security for that data. Consistent with data security laws and the FTC’s data

security enforcement actions, such protections should be based on the sensitivity of the data, the
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nature of a company’s business operations, the types of risks a company faces, and the

reasonable protections available to a company. Companies should also retain data only as long

as is necessary to fulfill a legitimate business or law enforcement need.

3. Affirmative Express Consent for Material Changes to Existing Privacy

Promises

As the FTC has made clear in its enforcement and outreach efforts, a company must keep

any promises that it makes with respect to how it will handle or protect consumer data, even if it

decides to change its policies at a later date. Therefore, before a company can use previously

collected data in a manner materially different from promises the company made when it

collected the data, it should obtain affirmative express consent from affected consumers. This

principle would apply in a corporate merger situation to the extent that the merger creates

material changes in the way the companies collect, use, and share data.

4. Affirmative Express Consent to (or Prohibition Against) Using Sensitive

Data for Behavioral Advertising

Companies should collect sensitive data for behavioral advertising only after they obtain

affirmative express consent from the consumer to receive such advertising. 

V. CONCLUSION

The revised Principles set forth in this Report constitute the next step in an ongoing

process, and staff intends to continue the dialogue with all stakeholders in the behavioral

advertising arena. Staff is encouraged by recent steps by certain industry members, but believes

that significant work remains. Staff calls upon industry to redouble its efforts in developing selfregulatory programs, and also to ensure that any such programs include meaningful enforcement

mechanisms. Self-regulation can work only if concerned industry members actively monitor

compliance and ensure that violations have consequences.
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Looking forward, the Commission will continue to monitor the marketplace closely so

that it can take appropriate action to protect consumers. During the next year, Commission staff

will evaluate the development of self-regulatory programs and the extent to which they serve the

essential goals set out in the Principles; conduct investigations, where appropriate, of practices in

the industry to determine if they violate Section 5 of the FTC Act or other laws; meet with

companies, consumer groups, trade associations, and other stakeholders to keep pace with

changes; and look for opportunities to use the Commission’s research tools to study

developments in this area.

The Commission is committed to protecting consumers’ privacy and will continue to

address the issues raised by online behavioral advertising.
Federal Trade Commission

ftc.gov