Re: W3C says DNT by Default not compliant

A few thoughts from this piece and the recent CNN article:

If the current grand compromise is the absolute end point for where the
privacy leaning folks are willing to go, I think we're going to have a
difficult time reaching anything that resembles consensus within this group.

Moreover, I'm growing increasingly concerned by some of the
characterizations being made by individual members of this group to the
press. To be clear - I'm not looking to place a gag on anyone. However, if
we're going to go the press anytime there is a disagreement, it may have a
chilling effect on some members of this group's ability to provide input. A
handful of the larger entities within the group have raised similar concerns
previously, so I don't think I'm the only one who feels this way.

Its one thing for a reporter to review the public minutes from our
discussions and reach a conclusion ­ its another for a member of this group
to characterize the views of others in the group as it opens the door to all
kinds of mis-interpretation and hearsay. And at the end of the day, it seems
like this is an unproductive direction...

Cheers,

Alan Chapell
Chapell & Associates
917 318 8440


From:  Mark Lizar <info@smartspecies.com>
Date:  Monday, June 11, 2012 9:28 AM
To:  <public-privacy@w3.org>
Subject:  W3C says DNT by Default not compliant
Resent-From:  <public-privacy@w3.org>
Resent-Date:  Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:43:11 +0000

This is interesting..

Here is some snippits.  form this article, 'Standards group to bar IE10 from
claiming 'Do Not Track' compliance'
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227881/Standards_group_to_bar_IE10_f
rom_claiming_Do_Not_Track_compliance

Isn't DNT by default an obviously appropriate privacy by design choice?

- Mark

Here are some snippits.  *************************

"On Wednesday, the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) standards organization
reached a compromise on some aspects of "Do Not Track," the browser feature
that signals whether a user wants online advertisers and websites to track
his or her movements.

The new draft of the standard, which may be months from passing in final
form, explicitly bars browsers from setting Do Not Track (DNT) on by
default."

snip

"An ordinary user agent MUST NOT send a Tracking Preference signal without a
user's explicit consent," the draft reads ( download PDF
http://tinyurl.com/6p5evwt ).

That seemed squarely aimed at Microsoft.

"But the W3C group that's been hammering out DNT disagreed, and said flatly
that while Microsoft is perfectly free to do what it wants, it cannot call
IE10 DNT compliant if it continues down its on-by-default road."

snip

"We don't have agreement on what the ramifications are. Can ad networks
ignore a tracking request from IE10?" Mayer said. "Google and Yahoo and
Adobe said they should be able to ignore the header from IE10, but Mozilla
and Apple have said that ad networks should not ignore it."

Microsoft was not available for comment on the W3C draft specification that
would bar it from advertising IE10 as compliant with DNT.