WASHINGTON — Technology companies want to talk with the government about protecting privacy on the Internet. They just want those talks to be private.

Representatives of advertising companies, Internet sites and technology companies told a House subcommittee on Thursday that they thought Internet privacy policies, including Do Not Track options, should be created through an “open and transparent” process, as two government agencies have recommended.

But openness is relative. “If this process takes the form of a public discussion, industry participants will be looking over their shoulders or sitting on their hands instead of offering bold ideas for workable solutions,” said Jonathan Zuck, president of the Association for Competitive Technology, a trade association of software, hardware and technology consulting companies.

The Commerce Department and the Federal Trade Commission, which are encouraging companies to be more open with consumers about their privacy policies, say that any such talks should be accessible to, if not include, Internet users.