We’ve talked about privacy concerns before, and as society has become more digital, the digital footprint of individuals – and the resulting concern about where that information ends up and how it is used – will only continue to grow.

The washingtonpost.com recently reported on how some firms track online behavior without explicit consent.  We mentioned before that allowing more targeted advertising can be beneficial to both advertisers and consumers, but the issue of collecting data on users while online extends beyond market research and advertising, including broader privacy fears of how the information could be used (from personal issues such as one’s career to larger issues such as national security).

With the evolving nature of the Internet and technologies enabling tracking, the pendulum will likely swing to either extreme before a consensus can be reached, but at least the conversation is started.

What do you think?  Should there be federal laws?  If you had the option, would you opt out?  Or if you had to opt-in to be tracked, would you?  We’d love to hear from you.