Do-not-track tools could choke Internet economy

Strong choices by Internet users, enabled by new tools that allow them to remain untraceable and impossible to target, will soon create a 'data blackhole' in the Internet, predicts research firm Ovum. Its latest Consumer Insights Survey reveals that 68 per cent of the Internet population across 11 countries would select a "do-not-track" (DNT) feature if it was easily available.

"Unfortunately, in the gold rush that is big data, taking the supply of 'little data' - personal data - for granted seems to be an accident waiting to happen," writes Mark Little, principal analyst at Ovum. "However, consumers are being empowered with new tools and services to monitor, control, and secure their personal data as never before, and it seems they increasingly have the motivation to use them."

Recently, the amount to data retained by Google and Facebook had come in for criticism from many quarters. Websites and social networks track user behaviour, mostly to enhance the user experience, and sometimes to target advertising based on your activity. If YouTube suggests videos that are similar to what you watched last week, it is because of tracking. Some websites and advertisers have chosen to ignore DNT tools, which also cannot prevent security agencies and internet service providers from monitoring browsing activity.

By enabling the Do Not Track technology, the Web equivalent of the Do Not Call registry, in supported browsers, users can opt out of tracking by websites they do not visit, such as analytics services, advertising networks and social platforms. However, just a handful of third parties offer reliable tracking opt-out and the tools available for the same are not that easy to use. But soon, simpler tools that offer a single and persistent opt-out choice will be available to consumers.

In fact, Microsoft has come in for flak for making the Do Not Track option default in the "Express" settings of the new Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8. Advertising companies want this feature to be a choice made by users and not one made for them. Among third parties that support the cause is Twitter. "If you have DNT enabled in your browser settings, we will not collect the information that enables this feature, so you won't see any tailored suggestions. We hope that our support of DNT highlights its importance as a privacy tool for consumers and creates even more interest and wider adoption across the web," says the Twitter Blog.

Ovum thinks that these tools, along with hardening consumer attitudes and tightening regulation, could "diminish personal data supply lines and have a considerable impact on targeted advertising, CRM, big data analytics, and other digital industries". Ovum's survey found that only 14 per cent of respondents believe that Internet companies are honest about their use of consumers' personal data, suggesting it will be a challenge for online companies to change consumers' perceptions.

The research firm believes that Internet companies should introduce new privacy tools and messaging campaigns designed to convince consumers that they can be trusted. Improving the transparency of data collection and use will help to build trust, and that will increasingly become a sustainable competitive advantage.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is already pushing to standardise DNT tools, despite opposition from advertisers across the globe. The US Federal Trade Commission has also framed a Do Not Track policy to guide companies.

Your favourite tech magazine Gadgets & Gizmos has gone digital! Grab your copy now!