Online privacy not so private after all

(WPRI) - Many people may be surprised to learn that their privacy online, may not be private after all.

Online shopper Mario Almonte was shocked the first time he surfed the web for a certain product and then saw an ad for the very same thing pop-up on a different website.

"I suddenly felt like I was being followed, like you're in a dark alley."

Experts say consumers are quietly being followed, even targeted, when they browse online.

Atty. Sarah Downey said, "That's all being stored and sold and shared among hundreds of different companies."

The Federal Trade Commission is pushing to give consumers greater control by creating a "do not track" system.

It's goal is to allow you to opt out of online tracking with the click of a button. The problem is, right now what "do not track" means is still being debated.

"What the FTC has said that "do not track" should mean that information about where you go on the net is not collected by third parties with narrow exceptions for things like ensuring security," Dr. Edward Felten said.

The FTC says some digital companies, want "do not track" to mean consumers can just opt out of receiving
targeted ads, but not out of data collection.

The Direct Marketing Association says it has to collect some anonymous data to help improve how the web works, and also use it for analytics and market research.

Linda Woolley says, "That's not for targeting, it's for if you're a rent a car company and you're getting a lot of clicks from a particular area you might want to open up a new rental car agency in that area."

Some web browsers offer new privacy settings which signal to companies you don't want to be tracked.

Digital advertisers and the World Wide Web Consortium expect some sort of agreement can be made by the end of the year.

If it doesn't happen, lawmakers may have to pass legislation.