FTC Releases Cross-Device Tracking Report

The Federal Trade Commission yesterday released its report on cross-device tracking. The report, which follows the Commission’s November 2015 Cross-Device Tracking Workshop, describes some of the current approaches to track consumers across multiple connected devices, discusses industry self-regulatory approaches to protect consumer privacy, and offers recommendations for how to apply longstanding FTC principles like transparency, choice, and security to cross-device tracking. These recommendations are not binding legal rules, but provide insight on what the FTC staff consider best practices and how the FTC might interpret and apply Section 5 of the FTC Act in this space.