Europe gets an advertising tracking code of conduct

A CODE OF CONDUCT has been published by the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) that calls for advertisers to be more transparent and include options to let people opt-out of behavioural tracking.

The policy will allow users to click on an icon in an advert to find out more about it and how to opt-out of being tracked by the advertising agency behind it.

A website has been launched that allows users to opt-out of being tracked by all advertisers listed or specific ones they don't approve of. Information on how the advertising tracking works is provided and complaints about specific companies can also be made.

A number of major firms have agreed to implement the code, including Google, Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, and Yell, according to the Financial Times.

Yahoo already implemented a similar feature last month called Ad Choices, which includes a button that gives information about ads and ways to opt-out of being tracked. The EASA code of conduct is remarkably similar to Yahoo's policies, suggesting that Yahoo's approach was considered the best way to address advertising privacy concerns.

National advertising regulators, such as the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK, will work to enforce the rules.

The code was developed in close association with the European Commission and there are plans to make the policies behind it legally binding from 25 May as part of an e-privacy directive. This will require advertisers to get permission from users to install tracking cookies, which record the websites a person visits. µ