Travel Web sites help customers search for great fares — but not always the cheapest ones. When they display the results of a fare search, many of the most popular sites leave the most prominent positioning to the products and services of the highest bidders. Web sites argue that this “pay for play” method, or bias, maintains profitability. Consumers feel misinformed and argue that the practice is unfair. TRUSTe believes the resolution to this debate can be found in the realm of fundamental privacy principles.
Many commerce sites and search engines employ bias. For example, when users run queries on search engines such as Yahoo and Ask Jeeves, companies that pay the most are displayed first. Businesses state that just like any physical store, they are allowed to place their products or services in their desired fashion on the Web site. Orbitz and Expedia say that they should be allowed to display prominently the airlines first that pay the most money.
Consumer groups have questioned “pay for play” methods, however, arguing that they constitute a form of misinformation. Consumers want access to all accurate and trustworthy information, demonstrated by the fact that Web sites with the most accurate, real-time information have the greatest traffic. Consumers today also want to be able to trust sites where they do business, and research suggests that the most trusted businesses remain profitable in the long term.
Who is right — consumers or businesses? The solution to the debate over bias may lay in the realm of privacy. TRUSTe, a third-party privacy organization, incorporates strict privacy standards within its certification program. Based on principles of trust, notice, and consent, TRUSTe believes that businesses should openly display their privacy practices in a clear and concise fashion. TRUSTe also believes that businesses should take proper measures to build trust.
In the case of bias, TRUSTe believes that organizations should give proper notice and disclosure of their business practices to consumers. By giving this proper notice and disclosure, consumers can choose to use or not use the site. In addition, clearly notifying consumers of any bias creates certainty — and therefore trust – on the part of the customer.
Therefore, TRUSTe believes that the resolution to this issue of “pay for play” lies in the realm of privacy principles. Bias is acceptable, but search Web sites that are subjective should not imply impartiality, and should disclose bias in order to accurately inform users of their true practices. Businesses can thereby continue to remain profitable and forge partnerships with other companies, and consumers can have informed access to the information they so desire.
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