The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has worked with key players in online behavioral advertising to launch Good Practice Principals.

The Good Practice Principles aim to empower consumers and give them information and choices about behavioral advertising.

Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and AOL all support the new principles. Online behavioral advertising is the growing practice of serving relevant ads to groups of anonymous Internet users, based on previous browsing activity.

New research by IAB found that 85 percent of consumers would rather have free content on the Internet with advertising on Web sites, than have to pay for access. Fifty percent of those Internet users said they would prefer to receive advertising that is relevant to them.

All companies that sign up to the Principles have six months to comply with three core commitments:

* Notice – a company collecting and using online data for behavioral advertising – such as a website publisher, ad network or technology company – must clearly inform a consumer that data is being collected and used for this purpose.

* Choice – a company collecting and using online data for behavioral advertising must provide a mechanism for users to decline behavioral advertising and where applicable seek a consumer’s consent (where data protection law or specific regulatory guidance applies).

* Education – a company collecting and using online data for behavioral advertising must provide consumers with clear and simple information about their use of data for this purpose and how users can decline.