The Online Privacy Alliance (or "OPA") was a cross-industry coalition of 81 e-commerce companies and associations, including some of the biggest names in, formed in 1998 with the aim of providing a unified voice for companies in the Internet industry to contribute to the definition of privacy policy for the Internet.
Contents
History
The Online Privacy Alliance began meeting formally in the spring of 1998. In June, the Alliance announced its creation, membership, mission and guidelines.
The group aimed to lead and support self-regulatory initiatives that "create an environment of trust and ... foster the protection of individuals' privacy online and in electronic commerce." It also aimed to provide a framework for debate and a forum for attracting companies engaged in e-commerce from the technology, telecommunications, publishing, entertainment, marketing, finance, and retail sectors.
The Principles of the Online Privacy Alliance were later used in writing the Principles later created by the Network Advertising Initiative or NAI.
Upon joining the Online Privacy Alliance, each member organization agreed that its policies for protecting individually identifiable information in an online or electronic commerce environment would meet the requirements of the OPA's guidelines, with customization and enhancement as appropriate to its own business or industry sector.
While the initial count of membership organizations was 80, this eventually dwindled to around 30, as follows:
Member companies
Member associations
The Alliance's last press release was issued in November 1999