Poll finds large majority of public concerned about online privacy

A new poll shows that a large majority of consumers are concerned about being tracked on the Internet and favor a proposal from privacy groups to create a "do not track list."

The survey, commissioned by Precursor LLC, a technology and telecommunications industry research group, found 81 percent of those polled said they were "somewhat" or "very" concerned about companies tracking their Web surfing habits and using that information for advertising, while 88 percent said it is "unfair" for companies to do such tracking without an Internet user's permission.

The survey, conducted by Zogby International, polled 2,111 adults from June 4 through June 7 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.

Among the poll's other significant findings: 91 percent said it is "unfair" when Internet firms relax their privacy policies after having collected personal information from users.

The poll also found 88 percent of those surveyed said consumers should have the same privacy protections online as they now have offline and 79 percent said they would favor implementation of a "do not track" list similar to the "do not call" list, which bars telemarketers from contacting consumers on this list. This same amount favored requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant before tracking a suspect's Web activities.

Several privacy groups in 2007 called on the Federal Trade Commission to implement a "do not track" list that would allow consumers to block servers on the list from tracking their online activities. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz has said such a proposal would likely require legislation to implement.

Groups such as the Interactive Advertising Bureau have said a do-not-track list would be difficult to implement and may actually prove to be less helpful for consumers by making it more difficult for firms to target relevant ads to them.

Precursor President Scott Cleland said he believes the survey shows "online privacy legislation is a no-brainer winner with the American public." Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., chairman of the Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee, is weighing stakeholder input on draft privacy legislation he plans to introduce. The poll, however, did not survey users on provisions in the Boucher bill.

Despite the support for specific privacy proposals, only 49 percent of those surveyed said "government regulators should play a larger role in protecting online consumer privacy," an idea opposed by 36 percent of respondents.