Assignment #2

Due by noon on Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Federal Trade Commission recently released a Staff Report on Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising: Tracking, Targeting, and Technology.

The Staff Report as well as the Concurring Statements filed by two Commissioners (one of whom recently became the Chair of the FTC) are below.

Staff Report
Commissioner Harbour
Commissioner Leibowitz

Informed by class readings from week 8 & 9, please provide an analysis of the following issues in the guidelines:

  1. The data covered by the new principles. In particular how does it relate to the data covered under the FTC's Fair Information Practice Principles?
    What motivated the change? Is it workable?

  2. The distinctions made between various forms of ad serving (contextual, first-party, third-party, behavioral advertising) and how they relate to consumer expectations, harm, and invisibility.

  3. The form notice can take under the Principles. In particular is a privacy policy sufficient? if not, what is?

  4. An additional issue of your choice

Length limit for this assignment: 8 pages, double-spaced, normal font.