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The White
House has called on internet firms to develop stronger privacy protections for
consumers.
 |
| The Center for Digital Democracy filed a complaint this week over Google's privacy policy |
The move
comes amid worries that browsing information is being tracked and given to
advertisers.
State
attorneys in 36 states recently sent a letter of concern over Google's plan to
share personal information across its products.
As part of
the announcement, the firms' ad networks said they would support a "Do Not
Track" browser option.
The US has
advocated since 2010 for "Do Not Track", a one-click option to
prevent information gathered while web browsing being shared with third
parties.
'Bill of
rights'
In a
statement, President Barack Obama outlined a "consumer privacy bill of
rights".
The White
House said internet users should have the right to limit the context in which
information was collected, should be allowed to correct information and should
have the right to transparency in privacy policies.
Companies
like Google and Facebook have signed on to develop guidelines based on the
"bill of rights", enforceable by the US Federal Trade Commission
(FTC).
"American
consumers can't wait any longer for clear rules of the road that ensure their
personal information is safe online," Mr Obama said.
"As
the internet evolves, consumer trust is essential for the continued growth of
the digital economy."
Privacy
complaints
Privacy
advocates will be involved with the development of the new guidelines, but some
remain concerned about the firms' ability to self-regulate.
"The
real question is how much influence companies like Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and
Facebook will have in their inevitable attempt to water down the rules that are
implemented and render them essentially meaningless," John Simpson, who
works on privacy issues for Consumer Watchdog, told the New York Times.
Marc
Rotenburg, the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center,
called the announcement "the clearest articulation of the right to privacy
by a US president in history".
However, he
told Reuters news agency there were "real concerns about implementation
and enforcement".
The FTC has
taken previous action against Facebook and Google over privacy complaints, both
of which were settled in 2011.
While US
legislators have argued that online tracking should be curtailed, little has
been done.
Any
guidelines developed by US officials in concert with internet firms would be
enforceable by the FTC once agreed on, but would not necessarily apply to
companies that did not sign on.
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