RE: ISSUE-5: What is the definition of tracking?

I'm hoping that everyone in the industry can have an honest discussion around the concerns of online data collection and not perpetuate the hyperbole that ANY SITE can see everywhere I go, everything I do, everything I look at, and everything I buy. If that is truly the concern then we should ensure that ISPs and the government are properly regulated, which is beyond the scope of this workshop. Let's focus on providing consumers with greater transparency and control over online data collection and usage.

Furthermore, once our DNT work is behind us what impact will this work have on phishing, viruses, personal reputation and online stalking, which I feel are more insidious threats to consumers? I would like to feel that at the end of this long journey we have somehow made the Internet a safer place for families to spend their time and legitimate online businesses to flourish.

I look forward to a harmonious and productive workshop in Santa Clara.

Best regards,
JC

-----Original Message-----
From: public-tracking-request@w3.org [mailto:public-tracking-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of David Singer
Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2011 3:39 PM
To: public-tracking@w3.org Group WG
Subject: Re: ISSUE-5: What is the definition of tracking?


On Oct 22, 2011, at 11:52 , JC Cannon wrote:

> I brought the idea up during early discussions about having multiple DNT values, (don't track, don't target, DNT for non-trusted sites), but there were concerns that the complexity would confuse consumers or multiple values would water down DNT. I feel consumers should always have choice when it comes to their privacy and it is up to industry to make controls easy to find, use and understand.

I agree;  I think intuitive understanding is very important here.  And I think that people's intuitive sense of 'tracking' is 'following me around, taking notes of everywhere I go, everything I do, everything I look at, and everything I buy'.  That's creepy in real life, and is creepy on the internet.

One of the things that I have learned about humans and risk etc., is that people get freaked when something is involuntary, and invisible/intangible, and with unknown consequences.  Radiation exposure is the classic one that pushes all those buttons.  I think internet tracking comes quite close as well, unfortunately.

> 
> JC
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: public-tracking-request@w3.org [mailto:public-tracking-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Karl Dubost
> Sent: Friday, October 21, 2011 3:45 PM
> To: Brett Error
> Cc: Bjoern Hoehrmann; Aleecia M. McDonald; public-tracking@w3.org
> Subject: Re: ISSUE-5: What is the definition of tracking?
> 
> 
> Le 12 oct. 2011 à 21:02, Brett Error a écrit :
>> The urge to define "tracking" stems from the concern that  "do not track" sounds like it will forbid all tracking.
> 
> Part of the issue comes from the binary choice "DO/DO NOT" when most privacy issues are not related to binary choices but to fuzzy logic. So maybe the question is not about tracking or not tracking but about the specific actions which are allowed in the context of a header, preference, etc.
> 
> -- 
> Karl Dubost - http://dev.opera.com/
> Developer Relations & Tools, Opera Software
> 
> 
> 
> 

David Singer
Multimedia and Software Standards, Apple Inc.

Received on Sunday, 23 October 2011 16:52:01 UTC