A coalition to develop online-measurement policies and procedures that marketers and consumers alike can trust and rely on has been formed by agency and research executives, reports ClickZ. Called Safecount, the industry group will enter the fray over cookies as its immediate concern. In the longer term, the group is seeking to provide a forum for debate, advocate both safe and accurate measurement, and educate the public and government on the benefits of online measurement, including the use of cookies.

Safecount hopes to enlist advertisers, consumer advocacy groups, agencies, research firms, publishers and tech vendors to the cause. Initially, it has signed on as the sponsor of the Network Advertising Initiative's "eCommerce in the Age of Spyware" event, scheduled for May 12 in New York.

At its website, Safecount.org, a petition asks for written support of its mission. Online marketing figures to sign so far include Universal McCann Media Director Brian Monahan, mOne Director of Advanced Analytics Gerard Broussard and Avenue A/Razorfish VP of Media Jeff Lanctot.