Happy International Data Privacy Day! This year’s celebration comes at an interesting and critical juncture in the conversation about online privacy, with consumers, industry, and regulatory bodies around the globe all intently focused on implementing the best and most efficient ways to safeguard user information on the Internet. This conversation has moved beyond Capitol Hill and Brussels and into just about every online user’s home.
In an online environment that has become increasingly social, where personalization is expected, and sharing information is much more commonplace, privacy and user controls are vitally important to consumers.
Proudly, protecting user privacy has been a core part of Yahoo!’s business since it was founded in 1995. And for more than a decade, Yahoo! has been an industry leader in protecting users’ privacy while providing world class web services and tools that make their online experiences more meaningful and relevant. We are constantly developing new and innovative ways to meet consumer demands, as well as address policymaker expectations with respect to online privacy.
The way consumers use the web is vastly different than a decade ago. Today, users log on to the Internet to help manage almost every aspect of life. The Internet has become an interpersonal necessity that greatly helps people cut through the clutter to manage and simplify their lives. Given this reality, questions about online privacy have become front of mind for many.
The best way to allay concerns is to educate consumers on the many privacy controls that already exist, and the continuing innovation on this front. Here at Yahoo!, we are extremely proud of our ongoing efforts to create transparency and control for users.
Yahoo!’s Ad Interest Manager tool offers a comprehensive and consumer-friendly way for users to opt-out of interest-based advertisements on a category-by-category basis. And as always, our one-click opt-out and privacy center are available from nearly every page across the network.
Additionally, Yahoo!’s CLEAR Ad Notice and our drive behind the industry “Ad Choices” icon effort which offers privacy notices and other information at the point of advertising, earned Yahoo!’s own Shane Wiley a Service Excellence Award from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. This massive effort is a commitment from more than 4,000 companies to increase transparency for users of online advertising and the ad choices icon is already becoming recognizable across the web.
Yahoo! is keenly aware that user trust is core to our business, so we are constantly innovating with privacy in mind. Everyday, products are created with privacy tools at the foundation to ensure we educate and protect our users, whether they log on from a computer, mobile or other device.
Here at Yahoo! we recognize that consumer trust plays a critical role in a vibrant, successful Internet economy and we will continue to develop products that provide users both peace of mind and that personally relevant experience they have come to expect.
Anne Toth
Chief Trust Officer
