Do Not Track Button Is Hollow Comfort

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Mozilla and Google on Monday took steps toward giving people more online privacy but each said hurdles remain to creating simple "Do Not Track" buttons for Web browsing software.

The only problem is that the action is without teeth.  Websites, when presented with a user who asks for the privacy option, get to decide if they will cooperate or continue to track website usage.  There is also the "risk" of seeing ads that aren't relevant to you, which I'm sure most people can survive.  Let's face it, websites are not going to voluntarily participate in a project that will hinder their ability to track users.


This is a first step in the right direction, but right now it is a hollow promise.  Internet privacy is going to become even more important over time, so a system should be put into place now to allow users to control over or at least have an understanding of their level of privacy.  Google is definitely trying to put their best face on whenever privacy is involved, the press has been nasty to them over the years for their many lapses and intrusions.  Facebook should take notice of how even a monster like Google can be rocked when users tire of fighting for basic privacy.


Simply giving users a choice and clearly defined levels of privacy should be enough.  However, that could be a long time in coming because there aren't many willing to jump in and get this started.