Publishers, advertisers, consumers pick sides in online tracking debate

A firestorm of fury has erupted over behavioral tracking -- the tracking of consumers online by marketing companies and advertisers to serve them up with targeted advertisements when they're on the Web.

Both consumer organizations and trade and industry groups have responded to the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) call for comments on its proposal to control behavioral tracking.

Meanwhile, the Newspaper Association of America is contending that such restrictions breach its First Amendment rights, and some advertisers have agreed not to collect certain types of data in a bid to stave off government restrictions.

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