Tracking consumers online is both standard and controversial. Nearly every consumer-facing website collects and uses this type of data, and there are hundreds of vendors out there to assist them. As technology has advanced, so have the business models. The data collected -- often just anonymous unique identifiers and segments of potential interest -- are used for advertising, personalized content, and for site optimization. However, with all of this advancement and revenue at hand -- online advertising alone was an $8.8 billion dollar industry in 2010 -- brands and their vendors are operating in an area of regulatory uncertainty. The FTC has proposed best practices, but sued those that have stepped over the line; the press has called out companies for data uses that they may not have considered to be improper; class action lawyers are as active as they have been in over 10 years; and regulators around the world are looking to apply new standards to traditional tools like cookies.
Please join us as leading practitioners and industry experts explore the cutting-edge legal concerns in online tracking and targeting. What are the regulators around the world calling for? How is the market reacting? What are common practices and what are outliers? What are class action lawyers looking for? What kinds of issues interest the press? And, by the way, how does all of this work? Ultimately, how can companies protect their brands while taking advantage of some of the most common tools available? How can brands adopt new business models that emerge like dandelions and promise more revenue and better consumer engagement?
What you will learn:
- How online tracking and targeting work from a technical perspective
- The multiple different types of business models that rely on tracking data
- Fact patterns that have resulted in bad PR, government enforcement, and private litigation
- How regulators around the world are addressing tracking and targeting
- How Chief Privacy Officers at leading companies are handling tracking issues now
- Practical tips for handling real-world issues
Speakers:
- D. Reed Freeman, Jr., Partner, Morrison & Foerster LLP
- David F. McDowell, Partner, Morrison & Foerster LLP
PLI will provide CLE credit