Are targeted Web ads overbearing?
Roberto Salome
Issue date: 7/17/09 Section: Ed-Op
With the advent of the Internet, the lines of privacy have been blurred. It is a very common practice for Web sites to alter their content to appeal specifically to each individual user. Information about users is constantly being collected to make each visit a unique one. While this has many positive uses, the ways in which the information is collected are largely seen as negative.
HTTP cookies are one of the tools used to help sites keep track of users' data. Somehow, they have developed a reputation of being evil files that will forever compromise one's computer. In reality, they are just text files that are created by Web sites to store information. A shopping site that displays the last items one viewed is an example of cookies in use. Examining the items a customer viewed greatly increases the chances of a relevant advertisement being displayed.
This strategy is comparable to placing a Jonas Brothers advertisement in an aisle with a Miley Cyrus CD. Similar products are placed near each other in an effort to find one that the customer may want to purchase. Another example is asking a store clerk for help in finding a certain type of pencil, yet being recommended to purchase a pen. While one's likes and dislikes may be gathered by Web sites, the information itself does not fall under the category of classified information that can compromise an individual.
Web servers also have the capability of identifying certain details that divulge information that varies from user to user. An IP address is one of the most common things that a Web server may gather to help improve a client's experience on the site. Frequently, this information is used to alter data that is location-based. Google and other search engines use this to return local information. A search for "Waffle House" using location tracking functionality will return results that are in a close proximity to the location of the IP address.
The location of a user may seem like it is private information, but upon further examination it is not. The first reason is because the street address given will be for the Internet Service Provider that the user has for Internet access, not the user's home address. Further investigation is required to find the actual location. The second reason is one that is still being debated, but has received some recent attention in the news. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones of Seattle decided that an IP address is not personally identifiable because it identifies a computer, not a person. While the RIAA may not agree, Jones has a valid point. Information that distinguishes a machine should not fall under breaching someone's privacy.
HTTP cookies are one of the tools used to help sites keep track of users' data. Somehow, they have developed a reputation of being evil files that will forever compromise one's computer. In reality, they are just text files that are created by Web sites to store information. A shopping site that displays the last items one viewed is an example of cookies in use. Examining the items a customer viewed greatly increases the chances of a relevant advertisement being displayed.
This strategy is comparable to placing a Jonas Brothers advertisement in an aisle with a Miley Cyrus CD. Similar products are placed near each other in an effort to find one that the customer may want to purchase. Another example is asking a store clerk for help in finding a certain type of pencil, yet being recommended to purchase a pen. While one's likes and dislikes may be gathered by Web sites, the information itself does not fall under the category of classified information that can compromise an individual.
Web servers also have the capability of identifying certain details that divulge information that varies from user to user. An IP address is one of the most common things that a Web server may gather to help improve a client's experience on the site. Frequently, this information is used to alter data that is location-based. Google and other search engines use this to return local information. A search for "Waffle House" using location tracking functionality will return results that are in a close proximity to the location of the IP address.
The location of a user may seem like it is private information, but upon further examination it is not. The first reason is because the street address given will be for the Internet Service Provider that the user has for Internet access, not the user's home address. Further investigation is required to find the actual location. The second reason is one that is still being debated, but has received some recent attention in the news. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones of Seattle decided that an IP address is not personally identifiable because it identifies a computer, not a person. While the RIAA may not agree, Jones has a valid point. Information that distinguishes a machine should not fall under breaching someone's privacy.
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kagedmunky
Andy
posted 7/17/09 @ 5:31 PM EST
Yes. Yes they are overbearing! And not to mention just plain creepy! Even though they say the information is only identifying a machine it can be pieced together and used to identify an actual person. (Continued…)
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