The Do Not Track Standard
The proliferation and persistence of online tracking of consumer behaviour through different technologies for the purpose of collecting information and constructing targeted advertisements based on the profiling of the interests and preferences of users, at surface level, seems relatively harmless. From a marketing perspective, such activity is crucial for both profit and online content. However, the broader impact and implications of such activity is much more wide-ranging, in particular given that much of it lacks transparency and can result in the violation of a plethora of individual rights. This chapter assesses development of the Do Not Track standard (DNT) in the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) as a response to tracking behaviour that has sought to ensure that users have a choice on whether or not they are tracked online. It explains how different interests and stakeholders converged on its conception and diverged in its development with focus on the role of privacy advocates.