By now, almost everyone has heard the stories about how third-party firms are tracking browsing behaviour and the sites people visit. This information is then sold to marketers, who can then display advertisements specifically related to your perceived “interests” on the various sites you may access. The ads on Facebook are prime examples of this growing trend. A detailed explanation of how firms track your “cookies” can be found here. Unsurprisingly, this issue is raising numerous ethical concerns regarding privacy infringement, in addition to throwing the security of the information websites obtain about their viewers into question. Due to the relatively new emergence of third-party tracking, no laws or regulations have been established to limit or stop the collection of data on internet users thus far.
Most people who are aware of this issue understandably consider it an immediate infringement of rights and a huge breach of trust. However, when considered objectively, the consequences of third-party internet tracking are surprisingly minimal. The current result is simply online advertisements that an internet user would be more likely to take note of and respond to, rather than ignoring them outright. When considering the increasing difficulty marketers are having in reaching consumers, this is an understandable step to take in order to better connect with them. And there really isn’t any inconvenience or detrimental effect to someone having specialized advertisements on the side of a Facebook page, or wherever else they may appear.
All in all, the issue seems to be one that is blown somewhat out of proportion by the defensive nature of most people. While it may be in a moral grey area, targeted ads really aren’t a significant issue in their present form. However, the potential for the leakage of information to third-parties with less harmless intentions is a definite cause for concern. Undoubtedly, some form of regulations should be placed on third-party tracking in order to ensure that the genuine safety of internet users is not compromised.
But in the present, it’s just the latest in a long line of smarter ways of marketing.