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'Do Not Track' Rules Would Put a Stop to the Internet As We Know It

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This is BS. All I hear from this media mogul, who is, by the way, obviously completely out of touch with anything web related, is "PLEASE DONT TAKE AWAY MY INCOME" Die in a fire.

Web Developer of FL 2:07PM September 24, 2012

Biggest load of Horse-Schitt I ever read. These companies are nothing more than criminals. Anyone collecting data profiles is a threat to everyone.

M. of IA 3:06PM February 06, 2012

Solid argument, but you neglect the issue of consumer choice. Shouldn't individuals have the option to opt-out of online behavioral tracking, just as they can opt-out of hard-copy mailings and phone calls? If the advertising industry wants to continue to track people online, there should be something in it for the people. The "benefit" of targeted, personal ads isn't truly a benefit to us--the advertisers paint it that way, but who really WANTS to be bombarded with ads, personal or not? As it stands, behavioral tracking is one-sided: it's a massive benefit to the advertisers and a hindrance to the users.
Currently, I use Abine's Privacy Suite software to opt *myself* out (http://abine.com/products.php), but not many people are aware that A), they're being tracked online, and B), what they can do about it.

Sarah of CT 1:06PM January 04, 2011

For at least a few years now, Apple's Safari browser blocks by default all third-party tracking cookies. This feature means that Apple has been actively protecting 100+ million Internet users from tracking by the Internet ad industry. With this massive do-not-tracking technology in place, we still to seem to have a thriving Internet. Why has the Internet ad industry been so silent on what Apple has been doing for its customers?

John Swift of MA 10:55AM January 04, 2011