Log me once, shame on me. Log me twice, shame on you.

The European Parliament is to consider statutory controls for online marketing, and in particular behavioural targeting – a growing online trend that tracks website behaviour for advertising purposes.

It is understood there are growing concerns that behavioural targeting could breach privacy rights. The calls will be made at a European Parliament hearing next Monday, which will look into privacy issues and how content can be tailored to a user based on their previous online behaviour.

-Marketing Week

We are undoubtedly entering a new era, laws and society needs to adjust to the new way of communicating that internet has brought upon us. My biggest question is simply; Are the people writing the laws competent enough? Or will new laws be made up at a whim, fitting the occasion and current agenda?

What happens when non tech savvy politicians with a need for control gets to be in charge can be seen in Sweden. The plans for a new form of TV signal transfers started in 1997. Instead of focusing on broadband access with IPTV, the government opted for a much older solution, cause it would guarantee the continued control over what the citizens could see on TV without ordering cable. Now, ten years later, many people, especially older people or people living on the countryside chose not to get a new TV or a digital transfer box for the digital signals.
Public access, if your vote counts for something.