Comscore Supports Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights
I am honored to have been invited to the White House on February 23rd to attend the announcement of the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. This initiative is the culmination of years of work within the industry to create meaningful self-regulation that gives consumers insight and choice into how their personal data are used.
During the announcement, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz stated that “respecting consumers’ privacy and protecting their personal data online encourages trust in Internet commerce, in turn fueling the growth of the cyber-economy.” I couldn’t agree more. We at Comscore believe in the importance of market research to the growth of the internet and e-commerce. Our market research studies could not be conducted without individual consumers agreeing to participate, and those agreements to participate would not be forthcoming if consumers felt unsafe about sharing their data.
For years, Comscore has focused on the same principles that ultimately have come to make up the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. For example, the tenets of the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights include Accountability and Security. For more than ten years now, Comscore has participated in regular privacy audits conducted by third parties who verify, in accordance with Generally Accepted Privacy Principles, that Comscore makes proper disclosures in terms of what data will be collected, that we abide by the promises that we make in those disclosures, and that Comscore safely maintains all of the data it collects. Our successful adherence to those Privacy Principles has resulted in Comscore being awarded the WebTrust seal.
Another tenet in the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights is Focused Collection, which says that companies should only collect the minimum amount of personal data necessary to accomplish the purposes set out in the disclosures made to consumers. Comscore has continued to refine its collection techniques so that we collect only what we need to report on aggregated internet behavior, and so that we do not collect individual data that is irrelevant to those reports.
The Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights also stresses the importance of Individual Control, where consumers have the ability to control what personal data is collected from them. Even though market research is exempted from certain requirements under the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, Comscore has nonetheless worked to adhere to the ideals behind the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights by providing a method for consumers to opt-out of Comscore’s universal data collection.
I would personally like to congratulate everyone who worked so hard to make the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights a reality. For our part, Comscore will continue to be active in projects involving our privacy partners, including the Future of Privacy Forum, the Online Trust Alliance, Evidon, and TRUSTe, to further the efforts of educating consumers and otherwise promoting sound privacy practices.
We invite any additional questions about Comscore’s privacy practices by contacting us at privacy@comscore.com.