Regulators raise bar on US data privacy Data companies are becoming increasingly tenacious in tracking minute details about people's lives, even as regulators" voice louder and louder concerns over the ensuing privacy issues. MasterCard is analysing transaction data to help marketers target advertisements at consumers more likely to buy their products. It can identify, for instance, groups of consumers more likely to buy electronic or luxury goods. MasterCard previously had explored using customer data for targeted advertising but delayed those plans because of concerns over how financial services companies could use customer data. MasterCard said the information it uses in its new service, which is US-based, is anonymous and aggregated into groups of consumers. MasterCard said it was "committed to protecting individual privacy." Regulators are increasing their scrutiny of digital privacy issues. On Tuesday, EU privacy commissioners called for Google to substantially change a controversial privacy policy or risk paying fines. The policy allows Google to deploy users" information across a wide range of services. Internet and advertising groups, meanwhile, are in the midst of a contentious debate over the implementation of a "Do Not Track" preference in web browsers that would let consumers signal their interest not to be tracked or targeted with tailored adverts. The fight over voluntary standards threatens to deter its adoption. The US Senate Commerce Committee recently launched an investigation into the practices of nine consumer data brokers. "The digital footprint [that consumers] will inevitably leave behind will become more specific and potentially damaging, if used improperly," John Rockefeller, chairman of the committee, wrote in a letter to one large data broker.