Cookies Are Your Friends
After reading the blog by Joanne Frears: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/mar/20/online-behavioural-advertising-rules, I have reconsidered my take on cookies and other forms of internet tracking, at least the non-intrusive types. I used to worry about privacy, information protection, and the like. Reading her take on advertising made me think how much more annoying pop-ups, banners, any online advertising would be if companies had no way of targeting their ads to specific audiences and just bombarded everyone randomly.
I would rather receive ads for products and services that I am interested in than women's hygiene products. I mention that because for awhile the coupon printers at a retailer's POS consistently gave me coupons for feminine hygiene every other time I shopped there. Made me wonder if the company really paid someone to print these pretty colored coupons without targeting to individual's purchasing habits. Gave me a pretty poor impression of the company and its use of funds.
As for the whole privacy issues and personal information gathering, corrupt companies and individuals will always find a way around any laws, guidelines, and protections meant to secure these. I would rather we utilize new technology to its best advantages instead of trying to squeeze it so tightly that only the dishonest companies who ignore rules and guidelines prevail.
To me, this the biggest problem in this topic. I realized that more companies start doing this. It seems to me like they don't really target the right population.
ReplyDeleteI've had a lot of coupons for make up stuff, or some good deal on women clothes. obviously, i'm not interested so i really think companies dont know who to target, for this reason, companies should learn about the market more and who to target specially
I think you are agreeing with me. If companies would actually utilize cookies and tracking devices to better understand your buying habits, then there would be less mis-targeted ads. I feel like this contributes to a lot more cluttered ads as a company may have to send you mens and womens ads, per say, to ensure you have the opportunity to purchase either.
ReplyDeleteMost search engines, social network, and consumer sites get their revenues from ads. Tracking cookies are great for these companies because cookies help improve their ad-based revenue. But most cookies collect your data without you knowing it. That’s the problem. You don’t know who is tracking you, what kind of data they are collecting, and how they’re using your data. Even legitimate companies can use if for medical or employment discrimination. I think we need to have a law in the U.S just like what the European Union has that demands websites implementing tracking cookies to display a disclaimer warning to users. This will put the power back into the hands of the consumer.
ReplyDeleteBkassahu
Agreed that we need laws regulating what information is gathered or allowed to be shared. My original post was supposed to be aimed towards just browsing and internet usage information. Though age group, gender, employment info is useful in marketing, I would agree that there should be express consent given for any information beyond the basics.
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