What do You Think About Allowing Companies to Amass Personal Data for Behavioral Targeting?

Behavioral Targeting is technique used by online website publisher and advertisers in order to maximize the capabilities of their digital advertisement by collecting the information of their consumers by survey forms or website profile data or browser cookies to choose the right advertisement to display to different consumers.

What do you think about it? Do you agree with allowing companies to collect consumers’ data for behavioral targeting? Our group disagree concerning this topic. This article will explain our reasons why we disagree with allowing companies to amass personal data for behavioral targeting.

1.       The use of unique identifier in behavioral targeting

To track the consumer behavior and preferences, the best way to do it is by set some unique identifiers to individuals. Although some smartphone platforms have eliminated the use of UDIDs (Unique Device Identifiers), which is also one of the practices that consumers find most annoying, behavioral targeting marketing still able to find alternative such as use of MAC addresses in substitute of UDIDs.

2.       Sensitivity of data

Some data in internet is so virtually sensitive that, even if it’s anonymized, consumers will not tolerate its collection and use. For instance, Wall Street Journal’s reporting on Neilson Co.’s practice of throwing out a private online forum for discussion threads from people suffering from emotional disorders. The information Neilson collected wasn’t linked to individuals and wasn’t used for actual marketing purposes. But when the story revealed, for sure the consumer will sharpen their stakes.

3.       Data collecting scope and detail

There’s a kind of situation when data collection could make consumers feel like they’re deceived. If data collection practice is both broad like relating to behavior in multiple contexts, such as emailing, texting, web browsing, and voice calling, and granular like capturing details of the behavior, as in keystroke-logging of course consumers will do anything to avoid this kind of practice.

4.       Effect on operability

As data collection and tracking technology seriously impacts and harms the operability of users’ computers or mobile devices, as in the case of spyware, adware, and malware, the sense of intrusion can be devastating. This kind of behavioral targeting practice is viewed as a legally cognizable harm by the court.

That is all our reasons why we disagree with allowing companies to amass personal data for behavioral targeting. The conclusion is that not all data collection and behavioral targeting have the same risks to consumers’ sense of personal privacy. By analyzing certain practices probably considered as intrusive, industry leaders, trade organizations, and regulatory bodies may find it easier to determine the level of notice required, or whether some practices should be prohibited immediately. These criteria may also be useful for companies developing behavioral targeting and tracking technologies who want to make sustainable businesses.