Is Behavioral Targeting Kosher?

Like many other teenagers in this digital age, I have a knack for multitasking. Even as I write this blog I cannot help but flip between The New York Times, iTunes, and Facebook. And if you also happen to be a short-attention-spanned adolescent, then flip to your Facebook page and look at the advertisements on the right. As you may have noticed before, these advertisements hit a little close to home. Maybe too close. From the ones lined up on my page, they know specifically that I'm an 18 year old male who likes to rock climb and listens to Beirut. I feel a little weird that my every webpage is being traced. But as advertising agencies become more and more aggressive, behavioral targeting has been an increasingly popular method of reaching audiences, if not a controversial one.

As we have heard many times, "consumers are like roaches", and as we become immune to conventional advertising messages, innovative methods must be used to reach us. Marketing strategies are constantly trying to break through the clutter to attract buyers, but in the process they create even more clutter. But the internet has allowed marketers to target audiences based upon their browsing history and interests. Despite the apparent invasions of privacy, it is a widely used strategy. Within the past year Google has begun to engage in this method, and as the number one seller of online ads, Google has a lot information to sell. But unlike other companies, Google has opted to provide options for users to view and edit their interests.

And while this may seem like a win for privacy advocates, very few people are aware that their interests are being tracked and most people are unaware of the lack of internet regulations. In a study published by The New York Times, a majority of Americans lack knowledge about government regulations of data selling. Also, 69% of Americans would approve of a law that allows them to know everything that a website knows about them.

The law is unable to keep up with the quickly expanding internet. Perhaps legislation will be passed that will restrict the advertisements that have already grossly invaded our privacy. But until then, every time you sign up for a website, you sign away your rights to your information. And websites and advertisers are using them to their advantage.

Works Cited:

"Americans Reject Tailored Advertising"

The New York Times "Google to Offer Ads Based on Interests"

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