Online Behavioral Advertising

818 Words2 Pages

A person clicks on an online news article, quickly scans over its title, then continues to peruse the article. However, the person has missed something above the header—an advertisement that showcases what the person was looking for before. Or perhaps, the advertisement is not even there at all because of the person’s AdBlock program. In any case, people are less prone to notice such advertisements. If they do, they would be filled with understandable concern; online behavioral targeting (OBA) can take advantage of and discriminate unknowing consumers, the data sent to the companies may not only be used for advertising, and people feel that OBA invades their privacy as well. Online behavioral tracking is not only discriminating and useless, but it intrudes users’ privacy as well. Some companies may presume upon behavioral advertising for extra money or benefits, and in the process, discriminate people with prices as well. For example, if a company discovers that a user is diagnosed with an illness, they may place health care advertisements on the websites the person visits. The company could raise the prices of the health insurance presented on the sites. In fact, ENISA expresses, “Price discrimination has a long history and is a common practice today” (“Privacy Considerations of Online Behavioural Tracking”). Companies also take advantage of more vulnerable consumers, such as younger children, who usually lack a sufficient amount of judgment. They will often target the younger audience with spurious advertisements, in hopes of acquiring profit. Because of online tracking, companies are able to gain more money while conning people in the process. Behavioral advertising is extremely inept and ineffective. When an individual clicks ... ... middle of paper ... ... themselves, so the privacy policies on the sites do not apply” (Online Behavioral Advertising: Tracking Your Every Click). Others may also say that online tracking does not harm users. This is also false; OBA is a violation of human dignity. The Federal Trade Commission perceives this as an exceptionally significant right that must be protected (“Fresh Views at Agency Overseeing Online Ads”). Behavioral advertising can also discriminate a particular audience with fluctuating prices. Younger children do not possess the evaluating skills that older people do, and may fall for hoax advertisements more easily. Other third-party agencies could collect a person’s personal information and use them for purposes entirely different from advertising. And as Danah Boyd once said, “Just because something is publicly accessible does not mean that people want it to be publicized.”

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