Addressing the privacy issues related to advertising technology and online tracking has been a key focus since FPF’s founding. Increasingly, the mobile advertising space, geo-location tracking, and indoor positioning technologies are at the forefront of online data management, retail, and new consumer offerings. Thus, it is not surprising that regulators, industry leaders, and advocates are taking a hard look at questions about how to appropriately collect and handle consumer data for advertising, location-based targeting, and audience measurement. Additionally, as public awareness of targeted and personalized advertising grows, organizations are pushed to deliver more helpful, relevant ads by less intrusive means. FPF curates a gallery of leading practices, provides up-to-date analysis of emerging and evolving technologies, convenes stakeholders in a monthly working group call, and works with policymakers, advocates, and other stakeholders to support leading privacy practices for the use of location data.
EPIC Honors Wall Street Journal for “What They Know” Series
Earlier this week, FPF’s Co-Chair Christopher Wolf, had the pleasure of honoring The Wall Street Journal for its “What They Know” series, on behalf of EPIC at a special event in Washington, D.C. His remarks from that celebration are featured below: I am pleased to serve on EPIC’s Advisory Board and pleased to have been […]
Statement from CDT and FPF on the Development of App Privacy Guidelines
Statement from the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and Future of Privacy Forum (FPF)on the Development of App Privacy Guidelines WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) released the following statement in response to this morning’s Senate hearing on “Consumer Privacy and Protection […]
FPF Response to New York Times Editorial on Privacy Legislation
Letter to the Editor The New York Times 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 We agree with your editorial “A New Internet Privacy Law?” (3/19/11) that minimum standards of privacy are needed. But your reflexive call for a “Do Not Track” provision in whatever law emerges ignores important facts. A technology solution already has […]
U.S. Privacy Innovations Spread to the EU
The Financial Times reports that in the EU, Yahoo will provide more information on its websites that shows how the data of users is used to target advertising, by including its “Ad Choices” icon to advertisements on pages such as Yahoo Mail and Messenger. This is the same innovative icon that is now required by […]
Jan. 30, 2011 – Privacy advocates don’t ‘like’ Facebooks ad plans, USA Today
“Any time they make a change, people react, especially if there is a commercial element,” says Jules Polonetsky, director of Future of Privacy Forum, an industry-funded think tank. “But … these are things you’re actively sharing with friends.”
Jan. 27, 2011 – Trade Groups Announce the Selection of the Working and Link/Icon that will be used to Indicate Adherence to Industry Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising, DMA
The icon is the result of a collaborative effort between WPP and the Future of Privacy Forum (“FPF”) based on consumer research and testing. FPF, a think tank focused on advancing responsible data practices, worked with leading academics and coalition member companies to conduct consumer research to ensure the creative symbol and language successfully delivered on the […]
Today is Data Privacy Day and YOU are the CEO of Facebook
For those that don’t know, January 28 is Data Privacy Day. And although you may not have the title of CEO at Facebook, we would like to pretend that you are in charge of it for the day. So what would you do if you were CEO of Facebook and you had to make some important decisions today? There’s a plethora of […]
Breaking News: Firefox 'Do Not Track' Advances
Future of Privacy Forum comments on Firefox’s plans to implement a Do Not track feature in Firefox 4: “Firefox is advancing the “Do Not Track” concept by providing a simpler and more effective way to opt-out of behavioral ads, but in a way that is likely to allow most ad networks to continue to deliver […]
Dec. 7, 2010 – Microsoft, Spurred by Privacy Concerns, Introduces Tracking Protection to Its Browser, NY Times
Jules Polonetsky, the co-chairman and director of the Future of Privacy Forum, said users would most likely decide to use lists published by Web sites they trusted instead of creating their own, adding that most people would likely ignore the option all together. “The average user is not going to have a list of 500 […]
Future of Privacy Forum Releases Statement on Federal Trade Commission’s Privacy Report
WASHINGTON – The Federal Trade Commission released their preliminary staff report on “Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change: A Proposed Framework for Businesses and Policymakers” on December 1. The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) released the following statement in response to the report. This statement should be attributed to Jules Polonetsky and/or Christopher Wolf, co-chairs of the Future of Privacy Forum: