W3C rejects industry's Do-Not-Track proposal
The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Do-Not-Track proposal has been rejected by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that is seeking to design a solution that would let users block online "tracking" at browser level. DAA, an US industry self-regulatory body, suggested a Do-Not-Track option which would have prohibited ad networks from retaining the URLs of the sites an individual has visited. However, DAA wanted to allow the scoring of users based on their browsing.
The W3C Working Group said: "Based on the comments received, the current DAA proposal is less protective of privacy and user choice than their earlier initiatives." According to DAA, the W3C proposal, put forward in June, was too stringent.
While some web browsers already operate a Do-Not-Track feature, this does not have much relevance before websites specifically change their practices. DAA has previously said that setting Do-Not Track as a default option i.e. to automatically make choices for consumers does not increase transparency.