The Interactive Advertising Bureau’s most recent effort to forge an industry-led position on consumer privacy and trust is not enough, according to the Online Lead Generation Association (OLGA).
In its Best Practices for Online Lead Generation document, the IAB summarizes the core legislation around lead generation practices and advertising disclosures and provides additional practices that marketers and publishers should adhere to in order to maintain customer trust. According to the new guidelines, publishers should offer privacy disclosures about data collection and usage and sharing, and advertisers should offer requirements and obligations.
Gayle Guzzardo, SVP of product management at Q Interactive and Lead Generation committee chair, said in a press release that the document reflects the committee’s “dedication to… [ensuring] consumers’ privacy in interactive media.”
But Jere Doyle, president and CEO of Prospectiv and member of the OLGA Preferred Practices Committee, said that while the document is a good first step, there is not enough to protect consumers from data sharing — especially when it comes to e-mail.
“Consumers do not understand what is going on when they sign up to receive an e-mail from one marketer and suddenly get hundreds of e-mails,” he said. “There should be some sort of standard for opt-in practices.”