WizzerSays

One of our Blogging Beginner members, David The Coolest Solar Guy, kindly posted this comment to my post about Privacy Statements.

It makes very interesting reading so I thought I should make it a full post so everyone sees it rather than having it hidden away just as a comment.

Thanks David.

I was surprised the other day when I got this email from Google AdSense team asking publishers to update their websites privacy policy and include the use of interest-based advertising.

It took me by surprise, because never in the past have any advertisers asked users to update their privacy policies. Seems that the changes are related to the DoubleClick DART cookies, that will be stored on users computers who visit websites displaying Google AdSense ads. The email asks users to update their privacy policy before April 8th 2009.

Interest-based advertising will allow advertisers to show ads based on a users previous interactions with them, such as visits to advertiser website and also to reach users based on their interests (e.g. “sports enthusiast”). To develop interest categories, we will recognize the types of web pages users visit throughout the Google content network.

As an example, if they visit a number of sports pages, we will add them to the “sports enthusiast” interest category. To learn more about your associated account settings, please visit the AdSense Help Center at http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=20310

As a result of this announcement, your privacy policy will now need to reflect the use of interest-based advertising. Please review the information at https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=100557 to ensure that your sites privacy policies are up-to-date, and make any necessary changes by April 8, 2009.

Because publisher sites and laws vary across countries, were unfortunately unable to suggest specific privacy policy language.”

AdSense publishers will now have to add-in a new policy that tells users about these changes, but is it really the publishers job? What is your take on this? Do you think Google has the right to tell publishers to update their privacy policy?

Hope this is some help. I have another link for a privacy policy I believe it’s weblaw but I think the sources above are adequate. Now I better get busy and add these to my sites right????

So now you know!

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