TruEffect Blog

OMB unleashes new privacy guidelines for Government

Two weeks ago the Government Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued two new memoranda, M 10-22 and M 10-23, regarding web measurement and the utilization for 3rd party technology for government websites. The new guidelines are part of the OMB’s “Open Government Directive” and seek to promote transparency, participation, and collaboration while protecting individual privacy.

Although the new memoranda reverse a number of previous mandates, what bears scrutiny is that while there appears to be some easing of restrictions around 3rd party technology use on government sites, most current 3rd party ad tracking serving and measurement technologies still cannot comply with the new requirements. For instance, new guidelines allow for retention of data for only as long as deemed necessary, but not to exceed 12 months. Most ad server cookies are set for a minimum of 24 months, while others range up to 10 years. And data is commonly retained for more than 18 months.

Last summer, the Future of Privacy Forum, in their reply comments to the Federal Government Websites cookie policy, recommended that “Only ‘first party’ domains should be used, rather than ‘third party’ domains, to avoid potential for unwanted correlation across unrelated Web sites.” Likewise the Center for Democracy and Technology recommended that Federal Government Agencies serve and measure advertising from their own first-party Web domain. We agree. That’s why “first-party” solutions, like our own TruConnect technology, are still the safest bets going forward in an industry whose privacy practices are increasingly being called into question.

– Martin Smith

Would you want this job?

While "Terminator Salvation," sans "Governator" plays in theaters nationwide, President Obama declares that cyberspace is actually a real place, and gives it its own security force. To protect us from hackers, international terrorists, and even SkyNet Research, Obama announced today the creation of a new government post - Cybersecurity Coordinator. Sure, this is not a job most of us would want, but his speech announcing the post certainly underscores the importance of this virtual space we've created and adopted in droves over the past two decades.

He reminds us that the internet is not just about our growing personal communication and entertainment uses, saying "... make no mistake:  This world -- cyberspace -- is a world that we depend on every single day.  It's our hardware and our software, our desktops and laptops and cell phones and Blackberries that have become woven into every aspect of our lives. It's the broadband networks beneath us and the wireless signals around us, the local networks in our schools and hospitals and businesses, and the massive grids that power our nation.  It's the classified military and intelligence networks that keep us safe, and the World Wide Web that has made us more interconnected than at any time in human history. So cyberspace is real.  And so are the risks that come with it."

As geeks around the country rejoice at the administration's plans are to keep this virtual world "open and free," we wonder if the continued emphasis on technology and security will fuel even more government attention to consumer privacy concerns around online advertising and behavioral targeting?  Time will tell.

– Layne Salter

It's a Brave New World

It's easy to forget how new the internet actually is. A lot of recent coverage is devoted to following the ins and outs of the new presidential administration's use of the internet to build the national community it promised during the election. Not since Kennedy bested Nixon in the 1960 television debates, has the use of technology been so prominent in politics.

It's hard to imagine that it was only about a decade ago that Clinton ushered the White House into the online world with the creation of Whitehouse.gov, and a mandate that all federal agencies get online. David Almacy, Bush's Internet Director said, "Clinton was the first Web president. Bush is the first digital president, and Obama is the first online social networking president." Even Congress is tiptoeing in the waters of YouTube, though it may take better directing to 'whip' our representatives into a believable presentation. Maybe Oliver Stone is available.

Digital Technology - faster than the speed of....
uh, the latest fast thingy?
It's not surprising that technology leaders, advertisers, marketing professionals, and privacy officers around the globe seem to always be playing catch up. This week an eMarketer report showed the first Direct Mail drop in over 60 years - no big surprise here. But the prior week they also published a report showing that Google, for the first time, is losing, rather than gaining, share in Search. And the hits just keep coming. This week brought us a new Nielsen Report on Social Networking's New Global Footprint that shows "member communities have overtaken personal email." If that's not enough to raise your eyebrow, how about the fact that time spent on Facebook last year not only increased by 566%, its greatest global growth comes from people aged 35 - 49? Even the strongest advocates for social media must be astounded by this speed of adoption.

Couple all these lightning fast changes with a recession spawning massive budget cuts, and I'm sure many marketing professionals feel the need for a long vacation (of the paid variety of course). We've talked about simplifying a lot in the past, but with this schizophrenic environment, it's more imperative than ever. TruEffect does its part by continuing to help advertisers make sense of the digital advertising landscape. It's all about forging meaningful relationships with customers, while spending less time and money on it and, of course, keeping kosher with online privacy regulations.

– Layne Salter