An op-ed by Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog:
Internet companies track and sell advertisers virtually everything we do online. That’s why a ‘do not track me’ system is vital. If Washington fails to act, California should create its own system.
[…]
The “do not track me” movement is so important because it sets the principle and precedent of the first real governmental limits on the Wild West of Internet data mining. Privacy violations are not victimless. Identity theft has run rampant because so much of our personal information is available in so many places. Teenagers are particularly at risk because they tend to share too much information online. And our jobs, familial relationships and friendships can be jeopardized if information about our medical condition, sexual preferences or lifestyle choices is evident and available to anyone who can see the advertisements on our computer screens.
A poll by Consumer Watchdog this summer found that 90% of Americans want legislation to protect their
Pathonline privacy and 80% support a “do not track me” mechanism. Another 86% want a single-click button on their browsers that makes them anonymous when they search online.
Read more in the L.A. Times.