BT: Privacy Peril Or Key To Web Prosperity?

BT: Privacy Peril or Key To Web Prosperity?

Media Post

By Mark Walsh

February 27, 2009

If behavioral targeting is the key to providing Web users with advertising that’s better tailored to their particular needs and interests–instead of banner ads that they ignore–then what’s the harm to consumers?

That was a central question tackled by a panel of privacy and online marketing experts Thursday at the OMMA Behavioral conference in New York. Whether online user tracking–even when anonymous–represents a growing threat to privacy has become a hotly debated issue in the last year, with FTC, Congress and state governments considering increased regulation of behavioral targeting.

Jules Polonetsky quoted:

“If sites said to users, we try to work with ad networks to give you more relevant advertising, and we’re not trying to hide this, no one would run away,” said Polonetsky. He pointed to companies such as Amazon and eBay that have headed off backlash by letting customers know upfront that they use behavioral targeting in recommendation engines and advertising.”

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