International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications
Common Position regarding Online Profiles on the Internet
adopted at the 27th meeting of the Working Group on 4/5 May 2000 in Rethymnon / Crete
1. Internet service providers should notify users about the type, scope, place, duration of storage
and purposes of collection, processing and use of their data for profiling purposes. This information should be given even in the case, that data are collected using pseudonyms or not yet personalized identification numbers.
2. Users must be informed by profiling services before setting of cookies used for profiling.
3. Users must be given a right to choose about the processing of their data (at least "opt out"). In
this case providers have to guarantee the users, that the data about their recent use of the Internet is not used to build up profiles by technical means.
4. Users should have a right to withdraw their consent at any time with effect for the future.
5. Personalization of user profiles requires users informed prior consent ("opt in").
6. The Working Group considers independent verification of privacy compliance of profiling services
by independent bodies to be essential.
7. Users should have the right to inspect, free of charge, their profiles at the provider's site at any
time. Profiling Services have to provide for online access to the userīs data stored. If the profile
is collected using pseudonyms, users should have the opportunity to access, correct and delete
their data without disclosing their identity.
8. Adequate security measures have to be taken by the profiling service providers.
|