17 March 2009

Behavioral Targeting by any other name . . .



This is scary. Google is adding interest-based advertising, going a step beyond the targeted advertising they now offer to Adsense advertisers. Google will track actions across the Internet in order to serve interest-based advertisements to users.

Although it sounds good in theory, this is behavioral targeting. Google has indicated that there will be an opt-out option, IF you know to ask for it. For a majority of users, their actions will be cataloged, their market segment determined, their demographics noted, and their privacy violated.

For related posts about behavioral targeting, click here
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Google has always been successful in inventing new ways and means to internet advertising. Great way to advertising and advertisers will be happy only I am not sure how the users will react!

Anonymous said...

If a visitor comes only once then it is not possible to implement this since no information is collected

Anonymous said...

i have written a blog post about it too. it needs a privacy policy to be implemented.
users will be tracked no doubt. but it will only be the browsing trend, not names or emails or other more personal things :)
that is not a big headache for me. but one thing is right. even though there is an option to opt out, i doubt how many of ordinary users would know it unless by any chance they read the privacy policy.

Make Money Online said...

I think that behavioural targeting is a breach of privacy, if it's not clearly mentioned and users should be asked to opt in rather than asked to opt out.

CyberCelt said...

@guest-would it bother you?

@shanavas-if your browser accepts cookies, you are tracked.

@anirban-if you can read the privacy policy, then the tax code will hold no surprises or you!

@mmo-funny how it works where we have to be aware of everything, but companies can always say, "I was not aware of that."

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