WebProNews

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has created a new category of membership for small online publishers as part of an effort to help them prevent adverse state and Federal regulations that could harm the publisher's ability to carry or sell advertising.

The IAB's goal is to create support against proposed legislation in New York and Connecticut that would prohibit the collection of data about online consumers without a user's specific permission. The Federal Trade Commission is developing behavioral marketing guidelines that would allow online advertisers to monitor themselves.

The IAB maintains the proposed regulations would have a disproportionately negative impact on small online publishers whose advertising sales rely largely on ad networks.

The IAB is offering small publishers a special introductory rate of $500 a year. The membership is open to any publisher that generates revenues of under $1 million per year from online advertising.  Membership for larger publishers is around $10,000. 

Privacy advocates argue that existing laws don't do enough to protect consumer's rights.

"Campaigns have been launched at both the Federal and state levels to seek government regulation of many of the core processes and technologies that support interactive advertising, and the potential impact on small publishers can't be underestimated," said Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the IAB.