A necessary component of a comprehensive self-regulation program regarding interest-based ads ¨C or online behavioral advertising (OBA) ¨C is a method for monitoring, reporting, resolving and enforcing proper disclosures of OBA use through use of the Digital Advertising Alliance¡¯s AdChoices icon. The icon links to a brand¡¯s explanation of its use of interest-based advertising, and how an internet user can enact an informed choice regarding OBA¡¯s use in regard to his or her own browsing behavior.

In the United States, one of two methods for such accountability is through the Council of Better Business Bureaus and its dedicated Online Interest-Based Advertising Accountability Program (the other being a complaint resolution program of the Direct Marketing Association).

Today, Advertising Age reported on one of its most recent compliance actions.

In total, there were five new compliance actions on October 1, bringing the total number to date to 18 since the program's inception.? Through these actions, all companies ¨C including their agencies, media buyers, ad servers and ad networks ¨C have cooperated and come into voluntary compliance. Industry¡¯s support of the DAA Principles is strong and vibrant.? Public, impartial, transparent decision-making and enforcement ensures that the entire industry understands and...

With all the current attention on Do-Not-Track and Microsoft Internet Explorer 10, it¡¯s important to also emphasize what proactive initiatives are underway at Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) to keep consumers¡¯ online experiences relevant, diversified and focused on empowerment.

This Fall is a critical time for DAA, as there are several areas where we¡¯re seeking to protect the rights of consumers and brand advertisers to connect and engage, while providing online publishers with advertising revenue that serves to finance their businesses and enable editorial content for the digital public.

Let¡¯s catalog some of these initiatives at DAA.

First is transparency:? the importance of consumer education ¨C explaining why interest-based advertisements exist, and how they are served ¨C is our highest priority.? This past week, the YourAdChoices.com site recorded and surpassed its 11 millionth unique visit.? Additionally, the Direct Marketing Association and the Council of Better Business Bureau (CBBB) are charged with consumer complaint resolution and enforcement, and the CBBB has executed investigations and resolved 12 consumer complaints alone.

Increasingly, Web experiences are mobile experiences. The screen may be a personal computer, a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone. Interest-based advertising may appear on any internet-viewing device,...

In a recent Adweek contribution [Subscription Required] (September 10), a representative from Microsoft explained why the company decided to turn on a ¡°Do Not Track¡± (DNT) feature in its latest version of Internet Explorer browser, Version 10, which arrives this fall.? Microsoft is making a huge mistake ¨C and setting a dangerous precedent ¨C that seems to say ¡°information¡± has no role to play in our ¡°information economy.¡±

Let¡¯s make this perfectly clear:? DNT accelerates and fans the flames of fear and confusion in the advertising community and with consumers. It may be a good sound bite, but it is a poor policy for the long-term health of the ad-supported internet and relevant advertising. Generic advertising here we come!? ?

Critics of interest-based ads state that, at least in the past, consumers had been in the dark about how online advertisers use data. The trouble is that Microsoft¡¯s DNT decision (or, for that matter, any browser¡¯s similar implementation) doesn¡¯t correct the situation. It exacerbates it.

Why not educate consumers about interest-based ads, and give them their own choice to opt-out, or opt-down?? That¡¯s what we do on the Digital Advertising Alliance site, YourAdChoices.com, and millions of consumers have visited this free...

Microsoft is making a ¡°radical¡± move, reports Natasha Singer of The New York Times this past weekend (¡°When the Privacy Button is Already Pressed,¡± September 15, 2012), but unfortunately it¡¯s not the right move for privacy, consumers and certainly not the digital community.? When one of the nation¡¯s leading news sources sheds light on the Do-Not-Track (DNT) debate that makes for a lively conversation.? Let¡¯s see where this discussion was illuminated properly ¨C and where it may need further clarification.

First, the story clearly points out that consumers ¨C today ¨C already have privacy options available on most of the major browsers (among them, Microsoft Internet Explorer¡¯s current version) where they can actively choose to manage privacy choices.

Second, the story correctly points out that the Digital Advertising Alliance¡¯s consumer education and choice solution ¨C YourAdChoices.com ¨C also enables such choices. This self-regulation, too, has been heralded by the Federal Trade Commission with further support expressed by The White House.

Third, Microsoft¡¯s decision to turn on the Do-Not-Track choice as a default in the forthcoming Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) means that the entire digital ecosystem, which uses information in a de-...

As the clock ticks closer toward Microsoft¡¯s planned Version 10 release of Internet Explorer (IE10), and its Do-Not-Track (DNT) default setting which violates the World Wide Web Consortium consensus and standard, the digital community is amplifying its protest.

The Digital Advertising Alliance posted this opinion piece recently on AdMonsters. I share it with you here, ¡°The Risks Behind Microsoft¡¯s Default DNT Setting¡±:? https://www.admonsters.com/risks-behind-microsofts-default-dnt-setting/

Microsoft purports to protect consumer privacy in IE10, but in truth undermines any chance of relevance in advertising on the ad-supported internet. And in doing so, Microsoft does not and cannot extend any supposed consumer privacy protections since its DNT setting is not enforced, and is not in compliance with the global consensus.? Alternatively, consumers do enjoy choice and privacy by way of reviewing information, opting out or opting down through our site https://YourAdChoices.com ¨C which 10 million consumers have visited to date. Last month, 1 trillion Advertising Choices Icons were served, linking interested individuals to this site.

Microsoft (and any browser for that matter) has a choice ¨C and it has remained steadfast to date:? IE10 will violate internet protocol for DNT, and...