Top Behavioral Targeters Deny FTC’s Spy Allegations
Jon Leibowitz of the FTC had a bit of a showdown with online advertisers in Washington, reports the New York Times. At a two-day behavioral marketing forum, when everyone was patting each other on the back about new tracking techniques and the (soon-to-be-introduced) ad platforms for SN sites, this was like a tall glass of ice-cold lemonade on a hot day — poured down their backs. Not a pleasant wake-up call.
"But, hey," says the innocent bystander. "I thought the FTC had their hands full with other stuff." Or, "isn’t that personal information voluntarily given?" And, if all else fails, "But there’s a privacy policy! I read it myself!" Let’s not even get into The Small Print. They’re horrible. (I should know, I write them.)
So the debate rages on. It’s like a tennis match. "Regulate." "Don’t regulate." Or, as it gets a little nastier, "Stop spying!" and "Keep your filthy paws off our industry."
Surely, the FTC didn’t come with us all on their own. PIRG and the
Center for Digital Democracy fired the first shot, saying that
"social-networking
sites…are increasingly "exploiting
behavioral targeting and other advanced micro-marketing techniques" and
that soon
instead of online communities supported by advertising, they are…becoming marketing vehicles that host communications
Source: the CNET news blog
Isn’t that what we all are?
***Here’s an interesting point, though — call it an afterthought. Yes, we are aware that behavioral targeting exists, but we don’t really notice it. Case in point: Google will throw ads at you based on keywords in the emails you write, correct? But they’re peripheral, like parsley on your burger plate. The only time you would notice the parsley, unless it jumped up and bit you –banner ads don’t yet have that capability. they will. would be if you were madly allergic, or if it covered the whole plate. "Umm, Waiter?"
But you also would notice if it wasn’t parsley. If it was, say, lemongrass, or a teeny weeny slice of Spam. Then you might realize that it is out of place — like Google serving me text ads in Dutch. I realize that it is because my account was used by a very cute Belgian to send some mails home, and so I don’t freak out. But it brings the point home that behavioral targeting makes sense. Spam doesn’t.
