It was announced on July 2nd, that several top media and marketing Trade Associations released a set of self-regulatory principles to protect consumer privacy while using the internet.

The focus of its announcement was to address the fears of privacy violations possible  by the use and collection of behavioral data in online advertising campaigns. 

The participating associations collectively represent more than 5,000 leading companies who from time to time would use the internet for these kinds of advertising campaigns.

The debate on this issue has been ongoing for some time and even with the consent or “opt-in” option selection by an internet user, this issue of potential privacy violation has remained a point of contention. 

This announcement by the associations follows a stark warning from the Federal Trade Commission this year, where the FTC said that it would step in if the industry did not address the concerns of privacy in how websites and advertisers on the web collect and use personal data.

Read this article and view the link in the article to view the complete document released by these Trade Associations.