046/06
22 May 2006

Industry development welcomed for online best practice guidelines

The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, today welcomed the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) and the Internet Industry Association's (IIA) proposed collaboration to develop industry guidelines for the online marketers and website operators use of 'Adware'.

“I am encouraged to see industry taking a lead in the development of best practice guidelines in this area,” Senator Coonan said.

“Consumers are unclear on some aspects of how these technologies are used. The work of ADMA and the IIA is a useful contribution to removing this uncertainty in the minds of Australian businesses and consumers.”

There is no universally accepted definition of 'Adware'. However, it is generally understood to refer to software which can:

• deliver information and advertising to users;
• provide information to website owners about user preferences;
• help target advertising to meet a user's likely interests; and
• personalise the user's online experience.

“The introduction of industry best practices will help maintain the trust and confidence of Australian consumers in online activities and online businesses.

“It will also provide some guidance to businesses about how they can deploy these tools in a way that both protects and benefits their customers,” Senator Coonan said.

The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts co-hosted a recent roundtable discussion with ADMA and the IIA on this issue.

The roundtable discussion was initiated in response to community concerns that were raised during public consultations on spyware.

Feedback from the consultation process suggested consumers and industry would benefit from improved industry practices relating to the use of advertising software such as adware and cookies.