Privacy groups slam new rules

By Maggie Shiels Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

Privacy campaigners say the FTC's new principles change nothing

Privacy groups say widely-anticipated recommendations on how websites collect, save and share information about users don't protect the public.

The Federal Trade Commission's new policies focus on targeted advertising that tracks consumer behaviour online.

"The time for baby steps to protect online privacy is long passed, there need to be laws," said Jeff Chester of the Centre for Digital Democracy.

"Self-regulation simply hasn't worked," he said.

"The Commission is supposed to serve as the nation's leading consumer protection agency. But for too long it has buried its mandate in the 'digital' sand, as far as ensuring US consumer privacy is protected online.

"The FTC should have recommended that Congress enact legislation and give people control over what information is collected and how it is used," Mr Chester told the BBC.

"Day of reckoning"

For the last year the Commission has been looking at the issue of online marketing, which has grown into a $20bn (