by SEO & Affiliate Consultant
M. Thomson
M. Thomson
Web tracking and privacy has always been a hot topic and now the Federal Trade Commission is due to launch new guidelines that recommend companies tell consumers more clearly about what data they capture and how it is used. And it's been proposed that a uniformed link or clickable icon be developed to take consumers from a website or ad to a disclosure page.While here at bigmouthmedia we agree that this is an effective approach, we wonder whether it will be clear enough for all web users to understand what data is being captured. For example, will minors be liable, or even considered under this proposal?
However, a surprising solution could be found with the help of Google's First Click Free. First Click Free (FCF) is a solution for websites that offer subscription based content and sites that ask users to register before giving them access to the content. Google's intention for developing FFC is to protect your content while allowing it to get included in Google's search results, but could the initiative have an ulterior motive?
It's possible that many of the issues surrounding Web Tracking and privacy could well be solved with FCF. Rather than confirming a subscription or registration, the user could be prompted to accept the websites terms of service, privacy policy etc.
The user could be presented with the initial webpage, but after their first click, they will be required to accept the privacy policy. Within this privacy policy, the actions and intentions of the web tracking or cookies could also be defined and presented to the reader.
Ironically, a cookie could be placed on the user's device to prevent the FCF dialogue being shown again. The cookie could be designed to expire after thirty days or until the privacy is updated. Hopefully, this would maintain usability.
FCC has a relatively small pick-up, but could it be that Google were already on predicting that privacy would play a large role in our day to day internet use when it was first developed?
Masked initially as a subscription based solution only to have a greater intention when industry bodies began kicking up a fuss about the topic - Google come to the rescue with a working solution. I certainly wouldn't put it past them.
