Taking Consumer Privacy Seriously, POPAI’s Digital Signage Group Releases Code of Conduct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Greg Smith
703.373.8819
gsmith@popai.com

Alexandria, VA  — The Digital Signage Group, the advocacy and standards arm of Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) focusing on the digital signage industry, published the industry’s first code of conduct for the utilization and deployment of consumer tracking research and technology.

More than 18 months in development, the code of conduct provides recommendations to marketers on maintaining ethical boundaries with consumer data and suggestions on how consumer observations and marketing insights should be collected and used.  “While the code of conduct is voluntary, it is an important first step in creating an industry-wide consensus about how to address the concerns that come along with the exploratory use of observed tracking data,” said Richard Winter, POPAI President. “Countless hours were spent meeting with and interviewing digital marketers, consumer privacy groups, members of Congress, and the Federal Trade Commission to develop guidelines that are ethically sound but do not diminish the technological advances being made in the industry.”

While the digital signage industry’s present level of privacy infringement is not especially high given that digital signage units are primarily in exploratory and testing phases, the privacy issue is nonetheless real.

“As digital out-of-home (DOOH) media continues to trend towards greater identification and surveillance capability, it is important that our industry regulate itself,” stated Bill Gerba, POPAI Digital Group advocacy chair and CEO of WireSpring Technologies. “As we continue to cultivate DOOH media to recognize and uniquely identify individual consumers, our industry is treading a delicate line with regards to consumer privacy. These guidelines serve everybody’s best interests, including the consumer’s, by establishing credible and transparent standards before the problem manifests.”

POPAI’s Digital Signage Group believes that consumer privacy can become a spring board, not a stumbling block to the digital signage industry if proactive not reactive steps are taken.

Click here  to download the Code of Conduct.

About POPAI

Since 1936, POPAI has served as the leading international advocate and voice of the marketing at retail industry. Comprised of 20 chapters worldwide and serving more than 1,700 members internationally, POPAI promotes, protects and advances the broader interests of the marketing at retail community through original research, certified education, showcasing industry excellence, trade forums and protecting intellectual and legislative rights. For more information, please visit  http://www.popai.com

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