FTC extends comment period on Do-Not-Track

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has extended the deadline for the public to submit comments on its proposal to increase the level of control consumers have over their online data to February 28. The proposal includes the suggestion of a Do-Not-Track mechanism that would allow consumers to opt out of all tracking of their online behavior by third-party entities. Marketers and industry trade associations have refuted the need for additional measures, saying that new self-regulation methods are sufficient and that consumers do not realize how barren the Internet will look if they opt out of some of the Web's basic functionality.

The FTC extended the deadline by a month after requests from organizations "citing the nature and complexity of the questions and issues raised in the report," the government agency said on Friday, January 21.