One of the most recent issues with the development of technology is privacy. A few weeks ago Microsoft released the news that all of the browsers on its new computers and software would have the Internet privacy settings automatically set to on, something that has never been done before. The reason this was so unheard of was that companies that wanted to advertise digitally wanted that information from consumer’s browsers in order to better reach their target audience by monitoring their activity on the Internet.
I can personally attest to the shocking nature of how well some advertisers seem to know based on previous searches or simply what type of person I am based on the circulation of websites I visit in a typical month. Facebook and Google have been pioneers in this industry, divulging user’s information, pictures, and statuses in order to give advertisers a more accurate view of exactly who they are targeting. Unlike many social media websites that may have rotational or fixed ads for the general population, Facebook caters each page towards a specific user in order to give advertisers a placement which they know reaches their desired demographic. In a recent article Facebook admitted that around 135 million of its users created no content, meaning they either individuals or companies created this accounts for the sole reason of observing other active users accounts, which we can assume is then collected into data and sold to advertisers. These 135 million are called lurkers, the name itself connoting dastardly deeds, and these accounts are simply there to invade your privacy and catalogue your activity.
Additionally, just in the past few weeks data company Datalogix has created new software that allows companies wishing to buy ad space digitally to target their audience based on what they watch on television. By partnering with TRA, a company acquired by TiVO, digital ad buyers will have access to this information based on data pulled from cable boxes in millions of homes. TRA and Datalogix can provide online ad buyers a perspective of what type of person lives in that household and how to market effectively to them online. Using this data from over 4 million households, advertisers can examine the millions of online impressions and cookies from a single user or a group of similar users and extrapolate this to the general public. For example, if a certain type of person watches X television show then they are more inclined to see Y movie when it comes out and if all those people have certain websites in common, that is exactly where a company would choose to advertise because of this new technology. It is exactly here where the issue of privacy comes into play.
Although the Obama Administration and the Federal Trade Commission have proposed changes and issued reports in their “Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change” they haven’t actually made an difference in an advertising industry that is in no rush to police itself and cut profit margins. Many consumers aren’t even aware that they can turn off behavioral targeted ads and monitoring. Eventually, if the market doesn’t change to alert consumers to their choice in this matter or the digital advertising industry doesn’t change altogether , we can expect that Congress will have to make some type of ruling outlining the exact extent to which the everyday person has a right to privacy on the Internet.
No comments:
Post a Comment