WASHINGTON, May 22 (UPI) -- U.S. Federal Trade Commission guidelines for Internet advertising have stirred debate among consumers and companies, industry observers said.
The FTC rolled out a set of guidelines in December but has kept the rules voluntary, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The guidelines call for a warning system for when an Internet user's behavior is being tracked and for users to permanently opt out of having their behavior monitored for advertising purposes.
But advertisers say tracking behavior isn't a violation of privacy as it only tracks anonymous numbers. They also say it is the best way to target ads and raises revenues on the Internet.
Internet ad revues are expected to grow but still lag behind television ad sales -- $11 billion versus $64 billion annually, TNS Media Intelligence said.
But consumer groups are wary of being watched.
"It is not anonymous if the companies are tracking the same user over time," Ari Schwartz of the Center for Democracy and Technology told the Post.
