Privacy Law

Every marketer's dream is to know as much as possible about a consumer to improve brand image and generate sales. But when do consumers think we have "gone too far" in tracking their behavior? A growing number believe their every click of a mouse, swipe of a card or call on their cell phone is being recorded and sold to the highest bidder. And ... in some instances, they aren't too far off the mark.

People know to look for the gold padlock when transacting online. E-commerce stores know they need an SSL certificate to get the gold padlock. It's something consumers have been told numerous times whether it was from a pre-holiday news special about protecting yourself online or from the family member that thinks they know everything about technology.

A group of marketing associations introduced seven best practices principles for behavioral targeting on July 2. The principles - a significant step in the behavorial targeting and privacy debate - are designed to make behavioral targeting more transparent to consumers and to educate consumers on the practices of online advertising and how behavioral data is used.