Are You Aware of the Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising?

The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) is a consortium of the leading national advertising and  marketing trade groups that provide self-regulatory solutions to online consumer issues. The participating associations (with links to their Web sites) include:

 
These are the goals of  the of the DAA:

For Consumers

• “Learn about Online Behavioral Advertising: If you’re an online user, you can find out more about online behavioral advertising and how it helps provide you with more relevant advertising on the websites you visit. You’ll learn how online advertising supports the free content, products and services you use online; what choices you have; and how to use browser controls to enhance your privacy.”

• “Exercise Your Choice: You can now visit the beta version of the Program’s Consumer Opt Out Page, which allows users to conveniently opt-out from online behavioral ads served by some or all of our participating companies.”

• “Report a Complaint: If you believe that you have witnessed a practice or ad that may violate the Principles, you can report the incident to either The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) or The Direct Marketing Association (DMA).  Complaints may be filed by consumers, business entities or other stakeholders.”

 For Companies

• “Learn about the Program: You can read the Principles, as well as find out more about the participating Associations. To learn how your company can implement the Principles, please review the Implementation Guides.”

• “Register to Start Using the Advertising Option Icon: Companies participating in the Program may use the Advertising Option Icon as a means for providing enhanced notice of online behavioral advertising practices. If you would like to register to use the icon, please click here.”

• “Report a Complaint: If you believe that you have witnessed a practice or ad that may violate the Principles, you can report the incident to either The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) or The Direct Marketing Association (DMA).  Complaints may be filed by consumers, business entities or other stakeholders.”

For Companies Engaged in Online Behavioral Advertising

“To enhance the transparency of online behavioral advertising, the Program encourages companies qualifying as third parties under the Principles to:”

• “Inform consumers about their data practices through clear, meaningful and prominent notices.”
• “Display the Advertising Option Icon so that consumers can easily find out about online behavioral advertising, learn about the data practices associated with advertisements they receive, and opt-out if they choose.”