Briefs

Supporters of the Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P) protocol are scheduled to meet again in November in order to discuss how to forward the standard, which has languished as Web sites and other online businesses struggle in the down economy. Introduced six months ago by the World Wide Web Consortium, P3P adoption has not grown significantly since August, according to a study done by Ernst & Young, with just 25 of the top 100 Web domains implementing some P3P technology or standards.

P3P is a consumer-oriented technology meant to simplify and standardize privacy protocols for e-commerce and other activities on the Web. Importantly, Microsoft has already bundled P3P in Internet Explorer version 6, allowing users to block cookies from Web sites that do not conform to P3P standards. Equipped with P3P-enabled browsers, users can define exactly the types of private information they would like to share with Web sites. They could, for example, automatically share shipping information, but request special prompts when the Web site wants a credit card number, for example.

Federal industry regulations, such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, are also creating confusion over P3P. The Ernst & Young study found that financial services Web sites lag other sector Web sites in P3P adoption, because of concerns with its legal ramifications. In health care, however, P3P could provide a way for companies to prove they have robust privacy policies and technologies in place.

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