European Commission wants 'do not track' standard by 2012

European Union member states have been challenged to create a 'do not track' (DNT) standard within a year to give citizens a straightforward method of ensuring web sites do not log and store information on their browsing habits.

Speaking at an event in Brussels on Wednesday, vice-president for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, said nations needed to bring in the standard to ensure trust in the online world.

"We need to standardise how the DNT signal and the expected reaction should look. I urge all interested parties to come to the standardisation table. I challenge you to agree a DNT standard by June 2012," she said.

"Citizens need to be sure what companies commit to if they say they honour DNT. There is an important difference between a commitment not to record tracks and not to use them for a specific purpose once recorded."

While urging nations to self-regulate on the standard, Kroes warned them that if no action was forthcoming she would force them to get it done, arguing it was vital to the future development of online business.

"If I don't see a speedy and satisfactory development I will not hesitate to employ all available means to ensure our citizens' right to privacy," she said.

"Without privacy, consumers will not trust the online world and without trust, the digital economy cannot reach its full potential."

Kroes added that such measures were becoming increasingly necessary as threats to internet users grow on an almost daily basis.

"I am worried by what we see happening: data breaches affecting thousands if not millions; social networking sites rolling out new features with very open default settings; exposure, and identity theft," she said.

"We all stand to lose from fragmented rules, disruption of the internet experience and a lack of trust. We need a uniform approach to the law and solutions that reinforce our principles of transparency, fairness and user control," she said.

Tools to stop online tracking are beginning to become commonplace in some browsers, with Mozilla adding it to its popular FireFox 4 browser while businesses using cookie to store data on customers now have to gain consent to do so under recent changes to EU law.