WASHINGTON — For consumers trying to protect their privacy on the Internet, it's a Catch-22.0.
Advertisers often track Web surfers' activities so they can deliver targeted ads. One of the best ways to avoid this is to install a tiny piece of software that lets computer users opt out of the practice.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 64 words Type of Material: Correction
Internet privacy: An article in Saturday's Business section about Internet privacy said the Anti-Spyware Coalition wanted the U.S. government to establish a nationwide "do not track" list for which consumers could sign up to prevent advertisers from monitoring their online habits. A group of nine privacy organizations supports creation of the list, but the Anti-Spyware Coalition has not taken a stance on the issue.
But the trouble is that the digital stop sign is often wiped out by other programs designed to protect people's privacy and security.
This little-known flaw in the system highlights the increasing complexity of safeguarding personal data as companies collect more and more information about people's digital footprints: Even the solutions have problems.
"It's certainly an issue that we need to grapple with," said Pamela Jones Harbour, a member of the Federal Trade Commission, which monitors privacy issues.
The Internet has no real memory, so websites often deposit a piece of software, known as a cookie, on a Web surfer's browser to remember that person in future visits.
Companies that deliver online advertising also use cookies to track surfers. By knowing consumer habits, marketers say they can avoid bombarding people with the same ads, track the effectiveness of ads and show more relevant messages. For example, people who visit finance-related websites might see an American Express ad when they visit a more general-interest website.
But that creeps out some people who see it as an invasion of their privacy.
One solution in place since 2001 is a consumer opt-out feature offered by the Network Advertising Initiative, a coalition of major online ad companies, including Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp.'s Atlas and Google Inc.'s DoubleClick.
The opt-out mechanism involves installing a cookie that instructs advertisers not to deliver behaviorally targeted ads.
But people who worry about their privacy often set their browser settings to automatically block and delete all cookies. They're also likely to use anti-spyware programs that seek and destroy cookies.
Therein lies the cookie conundrum.
"The two controls you have in place conflict with each other," said Kim Howell, a senior privacy strategist for Microsoft, at an online advertising conference Friday sponsored by the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology.
