WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - April 6, 2009) - The Network Advertising Initiative's (NAI) Board of Directors today announced the appointment of Charles Curran as the NAI's new Executive Director and General Counsel.

Curran comes to the NAI from AOL, where he previously served as AOL's Chief Counsel for Policy and Regulatory matters. A twelve-year veteran, Curran was responsible for AOL's federal and state legislative agenda, with a particular focus on privacy, data security, and consumer protection issues. He also led AOL's consumer regulatory team, advising on online advertising and marketing matters. Over the past decade, he has spoken extensively on the full range of online policy issues, including spam enforcement, cybercrime, spyware prevention, and child safety. Curran, a graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, worked at the U.S. Department of Justice as a Trial Attorney prior to joining AOL.

According to Robert Gratchner, Privacy Director at Microsoft and Chairman of the NAI Board: "The breadth and depth of Chuck's knowledge and experience in government policy and online advertising makes him well-suited to lead the NAI. While the NAI recognizes the challenges identified by the Federal Trade Commission's recent report on behavioral advertising, under Chuck's leadership I am confident that the NAI will meet those challenges. The NAI also recognizes increased demands for greater data transparency and retention controls, and Chuck will be diligently working with our member companies to develop new and innovative ways to promote consumer confidence in behavioral advertising. With Chuck's guidance, the NAI is well-positioned to help marketplace participants and policy makers work collaboratively towards effective solutions for consumers."

Jane Horvath, Global Privacy Counsel at Google and NAI Board Member, added: "The NAI and its member companies will continue to work together to enhance consumer education and choice for online behavioral advertising."

Anne Toth, VP for Policy and Head of Privacy at Yahoo! Inc. said, "Chuck joins the NAI at a critical time for the industry and we know that his leadership will continue NAI's growth in membership and focus on self-regulatory policies that promote consumer privacy. As innovation and consumer demand for relevancy in online advertising continues to increase, Chuck and the NAI will play a pivotal role in educating policymakers, consumers and the marketplace as well as promoting common industry standards and responsible self-regulation."

"I'm excited to be joining the NAI at this incredibly dynamic time in the public policy discussion of online behavioral advertising," said Curran. "The NAI has a long-standing commitment to effective self-regulation that enhances consumer confidence in this important advertising medium. I look forward to working with the NAI and its member companies to provide consumers with continued technological innovation around transparency and choice. The NAI will be an active voice in the current public dialogue between policy makers, consumer advocates and industry on enhanced self-regulation of online behavioral advertising."

Curran will be based in Washington, DC. His appointment follows the departure of J. Trevor Hughes, who led the organization from 2001-2008 before taking over full time responsibilities as head of the International Association of Privacy Professionals in January of 2009.

About the NAI:

The NAI (Network Advertising Initiative) is a coalition of leading online marketing companies committed to building consumer awareness and reinforcing responsible business and data management practices and standards. Its initiatives are piloted by a cooperative of the most significant on line behavioral companies including Akamai, AOL's Platform-A division, Microsoft's aQuantive division, Google, Yahoo!, AlmondNet, AudienceScience, BlueKai, MediaSixdegrees, SpecificMEDIA and 24/7 Real Media. As increasingly sophisticated online advertising technologies evolve, the NAI works to enhance consumer confidence through effective self-regulatory practices and user choice. To learn more, visit www.networkadvertising.org.