This popped into my mailbox the other day. Today is the deadline for comments to the FTC on its proposed privacy principles to govern interactive marketing. "Children's groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, Children Now, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry [and more likely], will ask the FTC to develop rules that will better protect children and teens in the social networking era."

Here's what these groups are asking for:

(1) Recommend adoption of voluntary industry guidelines that define "sensitive data" to include the online activities of all persons under the age of eighteen and prohibit the collection of sensitive information for behavioral advertising purposes;

(2) Monitor whether the industry is following these voluntary guidelines, and, if they are not, initiate a rulemaking proceeding to prohibit the collection of data concerning the activities of persons under the age of eighteen for behavioral advertising purposes;

(3) Revisit and clarify its COPPA rule to require affirmative express consent from parents when advertisers collect information used to send individualized ads to children as part of behavioral advertising."

I'm torn on this one -- I definitely think behavioral targeting for minors should be opt-in only/permission based vs. opt out and transparent about what information is being used and how. I also think that any information used should not be shared with third parties and deleted completely if/when you delete your profile. Not sure what these groups consider "sensitive data" vs. other data. Everything they post in a profile? Update: After rereading, I realize they mean "all online activities." Social networking sites have to run ads to survive -- the idea is that with behavioral targeting they will be more contextual, without it, they will be more random. If I have to see ads, part of me prefers that they be somewhat relevant or contextual. I think teens would probably prefer that, too.

What do you think?

Updated/More Thoughts: I was thinking about this over the weekend, and I really liked what Flip.com did (back when it was a site) by giving teens a way to choose which ads they wanted to show up on their profiles. I don't see why it's so impossible to communicate to teens that ads are necessary and give them a chance to fill out preferences as to what kinds of ads they would like to see...Just another alternative to passive spidering of data/info.

Posted by anastasia