Summary of the NAI's W3C Workshop: Do Not Track and Beyond
Chango is an NAI member and we thought it would be helpful to share NAI's latest opinion piece on DNT.
For the full report check out NAI's blog here: http://www.networkadvertising.org/blog/nai-wc3-position-paper-post
More on DNT from NAI
It’s no secret that the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), has invested a lot of time and resources to ensure they remain active in the Do Not Track conversation. It's also no secret that a Do Not Track standard could adversely affect the third-party, interest-based advertising industry as a whole. In fact, David Wainberg, NAI’s Counselor and Director of Technology recently submitted a position paper outlining the importance of third-party providers to the future of the web’s ecosystem.
Why a Position Paper?
The position paper is targeted to provide input for the Do Not Track and Beyond workshop scheduled at the WC3 conference in Berkeley just after Thanksgiving on November 26th and 27th.
The concern is that the DO Not Track (DNT) initiative could potentially harm NAI’s membership in the W3C. As an active member of NAI, we want to ensure that the importance of third-party advertising is well understood by everyone involved with the DNT conversation.
Some Key Talking Points from the NAI Position Paper
- NAI Members are an Integral Part of the Internet’s Ecosystem – In other words, the diversity of third-party advertisers will go a long way to promote innovation in the space.
- Third-party Advertising Benefits Small Publishers – NAI members serve an important function in the lives of smaller web publishers that rely heavily on advertising revenue. The reality for many small web-based companies is that online advertising is among the only feasible options for generating revenue. In fact, third-party advertising allows these publishers to offer their content for free. Without this advertising, their customers or site visitors would have to pay for content, which could possibly cripple of capsize their business in the process.
- Third-party Providers are Good for the Web User Economy – The big idea is that through third-party, interest-based advertising the Internet becomes a level playing field. In other words, a more democratic, distributed and dynamic web is better for the user in the long run.
- Self-regulation is Effective – Standardization is the name of the game, and there are few better ways to ensure standards than through self-regulatory organizations like the NAI. These organizations are able to draw from high levels of advertising expertise, loyal members and enforceable measures that are able to ensure that user-privacy is maintained.
- Third-Party Advertising is Good for Innovation – Lastly, the demand for third-party advertising services drives competition. Whatever drives competition also drives innovation. The online advertising economy is successful because there are few barriers for entry, and young companies can enter the space and compete almost immediately. On top of that, there hundreds of companies in the US alone that employ thousands of people. These same companies generate billions of dollars in annual revenue.