User
privacy reigns supreme
Internet companies currently know this information.
Sound like science fiction? Don’t you wish.
Like “Minority Report,” online advertisers
have been able to customize customer profiles.
DoubleClick, an online marketing advertiser,
had been using “cookies,” or electronic
tags, to track consumer’s names and surfing
habits. The company had known where you
went and what you did on the Web. As of
last week, the practice was discontinued
in the form of a settlement.
Sure, you might ask, what’s the big deal?
So what if companies can tailor advertisements
to your wants and needs? I see it like this.
Telemarketers have become an unavoidable
nuisance. Even if they call with something
of interest, it’s still annoying to know
that the company received your number from
that card you filled out to win a new car.
Or, that registry you filled out at the
mall. Gee, you spend an awful lot of time
at the mall, don’t you?
But, the problem is with DoubleClick’s methods.
Unlike the mall, the company didn’t ask
for the Web visitor’s permission. While
surfing the Net, the company would insert
a file known as a cookie to track what the
user does and where the user goes on the
Web. With this information, the company
would shows ads that are suitable for you.
Yes, the ad will display something I’m interested
in; let’s say Warcraft III. But, once again,
the problem is permission. The Web site
never asked me if I wanted a cookie tailoring
ads to me.
On the positive side, it appears the question
of permission will change. Under the settlement,
Web sites using DoubleClick must disclose
the company’s activities in the privacy
policy. And, the ad provider cannot use
data collected on a client without client’s
permission. DoubleClick isn’t sitting idly
by either. The advertising company is working
on a cookie viewer that allows the surfer
to see the interest categories the company
uses.
True, no one ever looks at a site’s privacy
policy. And, hardly anyone knows what a
“cookie” is. But, advertisers are making
key first steps to avoid exploiting consumers
for not protecting themselves.
Of course, even with the warnings, there’s
always a fear the company could sell information
to a telemarketer.
So, would you like to get some vinyl-plated
sidings?
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