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Online Behavioral Advertising: They know where you've been!
Online Behavioral Advertising: They know where you've been!
It's called Online Behavioral Advertising (OBA) and it's meant to make your experience as "relevant and useful as possible," but does it cross the line and invade your privacy. Did you want your spouse to know what medication you've been researching? Do you want your spouse to read this article and think you're looking for hot singles in your area? In its simplest form the searches you conduct in your favorite web browser also determine the advertisements you see on your sidebars and banners. Sign up for Groupon.com and you'll immediately start seeing advertisements for rival livingsocial.com. Do a search for "bachelor degree" in your favorite search engine and you'll start seeing advertisements for University of Phoenix, National University and every other college which has enough advertising dollars to put their name first on your page.
You can't stop it, but you can take measures to protect your privacy by opting out of the most prominent advertisers. This article will show you how, but your proactive efforts to remove yourself from these advertisements will barely scratch the surface in a multi-billion online advertising industry which pays top dollar to know what you're looking at when you're online. Congress is currently considering a "Do Not Track" law similar to the "Do Not Call" list, but will they rule in favor of the consumer and jeopardize halting a billion dollar industry? It's not likely until the economy shows more northern momentum. Still, I was working in the internet advertising industry when congress passed the CAN-SPAM Act in 2003. I remember the day after implementation my SPAM dropped from around 15 a day to 2, so legislation of this nature can have lasting and effective consumer protection effects. The difference between SPAM and Online Behavioral Advertising, however, aside from the protections against SPAM afforded by the laws is that OBA occurs without your consent.
How it works:
As you surf around the internet, subscribing to news feeds, signing up for subscriptions, joining sites or playing online games, tiny pieces of information are put on your computer called cookies. Additionally, when you sign into a site using your Username and Password, a running log of your clicks in, within and out of the site are recorded at the site. If you, for instance, log into your personal search page and then conduct a search for taxes, you'll not only see the "Paid Sponsor" links at the top of your searches (those advertisers who compete to pay for placement there), but you may start to see banner ads for tax software programs or tax services over the next several weeks. If you read an article on makeup techniques, don't be surprised if advertisements from major makeup manufacturers start appearing over the next week. The reason is that your internet search behavior was sold to those advertisersnot your name, in most cases. What was sold was the fact that you and the other users who searched for taxes were prime targets for these advertisers. Those advertisers then pay back to the search engine to have their product served up to you. Who does this? Think of any major search engine or social media site out there.
Now, armed with this knowledge and the fact that it's done completely behind the scenes, would you suspect your spouse of cheating were a banner ad to appear on your search engine page for hot singles in your area? I would avoid jumping the gun in that way. The fact is 9 out of 10 polled internet users, according to a recent Gallup poll, completely disregard internet banner ads. How this is possible when accidentally rolling over them with your mouse sometimes causes them to explode out over your content, is beyond me. Suffice it to say, most people find internet ads an annoyance. I would bet that you can't recall the last internet ad you were exposed to, but there are at least three from a design standpoint on most major pages you visit.
How to fight back:
So, not waiting for comprehensive legislation, there are some measures you can take now to reduce the targeted advertising noise. First, go to this site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/. By way of disclosure, I am in no way affiliated with any of the sites I mention in this article. What this site will do is analyze your browser to determine what agencies/entities are currently tracking your online behaviors. You will be surprised. Even if you clear cookies frequently you likely have around 20 or more of the 58 agencies which declare themselves. Select all and opt-out from this location. Will you stop receiving advertisements? Nope. You will stop being tracked by these companies and will, therefore and hypothetically, stop receiving targeted advertisements based on your internet usage.
Once you've done this, try downloading the free program found here http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php. I've been using it for years, as it is really proficient at removing everything from hidden viruses to cookies. After you run the program you will likely see a significant boost in internet speed, if you've never run a program like this before. You may have to turn off your current virus software when you run it to avoid the programs competing.
Want to shut the ads off completely? I'll never forget the look on an ad man's face who came to my office to sell me internet ad space on his website. When we browsed to the page where the ad real estate was, no advertisements appeared. The reason was because I use Firefox as my web browser. It's free too http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html. Several additional add-on programs are available to customize your web browsing experience. Click the "Explore the full range of add-ons" link there and search for Ad Blocker. You'll find quite a few. Once you install one of these, you'll start surfing the internet and will notice all those advertisements have just disappeared. Sometimes an occasional one will still get through, but it's well worth it.
So, while you cannot stop advertisers from invading your space entirely, you can take a few measures to protect your privacy with regards to your online behaviors. A few simple downloads and steps can ensure that your internet experience is "your" internet experience and not up for bid to the highest bidder. Take measures to prevent your being tracked through Online Behavioral Advertising. Happy surfing! Benefits Of Online Uk Recruitment Very good Style Practices Simple Tips On Choosing The Best Online Fashion Store Yokohama Recycle Shop - A Distinctive Destination To Buy All Costly Tools Coffee Provides Surprising Benefits For Older Women The Deadliest Cancers How To Be A Fashion Recessionista? How to Look Great When Money's Tight! by:Tricia Dubrow Insight Into Online Reputation Management Choose The Best Ecommerce Delivery Model Online Shopping India Has Come A Long Way Parents How To Choose The Wedding Dress Plastic Army Men : Information That Will Be Beneficial To You The Beauties Of Costa Blanca