You are here > Home > News
Social marketing 'faces privacy curbs'
Marketing News |
19/06/2009
Marketers who are making use of information gathered through social networking websites could be subjected to tighter regulations, it has been revealed.
The Article 29 working party, which advises the European Commission, has expressed concerns about the way third parties are collecting and disseminating the personal information people enter into such websites, the Financial Times reported.
Although the views of the group do not carry any formal weight, they are designed to offer guidance to national regulators.
Any changes could reach outside of the European Union (EU), with Article 29 suggesting that application developers all over the world should have to comply with the EU's rules on privacy and data protection.
Speaking to the newspaper, Marc Rotenberg, head of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in the US, welcomed the move.
He said: "We've been concerned about the growing third-party use of personal information. If nothing else, it will lead to greater accountability".
Yesterday, a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers predicted that by 2013, 36 per cent of all cash spent on advertising will go towards internet-based campaigns.
Posted Jon Aspinell.
Sign up to our e-newsletter service to receive our headline news directly to your inbox.
