There have been some great blog posts lately on the use of profile or other user data to target users.  This is a common practice on sites where you give information to sign up for their content or service.  Often, the information is used in aggregate - e.g. the average age of the site’s users is 33, so advertisements will be targeted to people in their 30s.  This post, however, discusses the use of the information in a specific way.  I wrote a lengthy comment on the blog because I got a similar ad the other day that used my age.  The ad begins, “are you 32 and male?” and continues to say that if so, I am just right for their products.  We’ll my immediate thought was “of course I’m 32 and male and you KNOW that, Facebook, because you require my birthday as ‘a safety precaution’!”

We have spent a lot of time discussing the cons of tracking your online behavior across the internet in order to serve ads, but this misuse of profile data provided by you is another issue.  Both of these point to one overall problem with online advertising - I cannot choose what personal information, habits or behavior I trade for things I value.  I gave this particular information, my birthday, so that children would not use Facebook without supervision - i.e. as a safety precaution.  I give my education information so I can network, not so I can get ads for “Nerdwestern” t-shirts.  This, to me, is a gross and growing problem of misusing user profile or other user information to target them with ads.  I realize - and agree - that publishers need to monetize their sites, but I think this takes it too far.  The sad part is that it isn’t just the consumers who are getting the bad end of the deal.  Marketers, brands and publishers all look bad when customers (or readers) feel mistargeted or stereotyped or feel that their private information has been abused.  Exploiting user information is not the way to build relationships with customers.  Here is a novel idea: let users give information - preferences - explicitly for ads or offers.  It just makes sense to listen to customers and the internet, as an information platform, does the best job of that; except as it relates to ad content.

That is why we are so excited about ListensToYou - internet users demand this service!  We just have to let them know about us.

Check out this CNET article on tracking. 

Summary: Cable companies are trying to watch every site you visit so they can figure out what advertisements to show you.   http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-9945309-38.html

My take: Think about the implications of this on your shared home computer.  What if you just found out about a serious health problem, but weren’t ready to share that information with anyone?  Given the example above, the cable company could show very relevant advertisements based on your searches.  If other members of your household used the home computer…that private health problem may not be so private.