Gator Wants to Spearhead Standards

Former Internet advertising bad boy Gator says it's interested in leading the charge for standards governing ad-supported software and pop-ups.

Redwood City, Calif.-based Gator's proposed guidelines essentially extend common, self-regulatory online advertising practices to ads delivered by software applications and pop-up ads. The new proposals would require publishers to obtain consent for installing software or displaying ads, provide notice on the ads so consumers would know their origin, and provide ways to opt-out or uninstall the software.

The rules -- often referred to as "notice and choice" -- draw on earlier, online ad-related proposals by industry groups like the Network Advertising Initiative, the Responsible Electronic Communications Coalition and the Direct Marketing Association. The earlier rules, however, don't specify that ads must identify the distributor.

The proposed guidelines, Gator said, are meant to address needed improvements in consumer experience and ad sellers' behavior.

The problem, according to Gator, is that ad-supported applications and Web content often display ads like pop-ups and pop-unders "without reasonable consumer disclosure or permission." Furthermore, some software publishers also install software on consumers' PCs "without providing reasonable disclosure or obtaining permission."

News source: Internetnews