[LINK] Targeting systems threaten privacy

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

Targeting systems threaten privacy
Lara Sinclair
August 02, 2007
Australian IT
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22175680-15306,00.html

Australian privacy groups have warned that the proliferation of behavioural targeting on the internet could breach privacy guidelines.

It is expected that five of the six biggest Australian internet publishers - Sensis, Ninemsn, Fairfax, News Digital Media and Yahoo - will have behavioural targeting in operation on their sites within six months, but they are not expected to reveal the practice to users.

Behavioural targeting is where a user is profiled according to their purchase habits and served relevant ads that can follow them from site to site.

Privacy groups say users should be made aware of the practice to save them from being unduly influenced without their knowledge and allow them to opt in or out of the service.

The Australian Privacy Foundation expects "ad-stalking" will become a flashpoint once consumers are aware of it.

"(It) is one of those topics that will absolutely explode in companies' faces when people think the companies they've done a deal with have shared (their data) with others," said APF chairman Roger Clarke, an ebusiness consultant.

"(People) are quite happy (to share information) provided we are informed about what it is and we believe we have consented to that usage," he said.

Telstra's digital media arm Sensis will launch its system by October and is already collecting user profiles.

Digital marketing chief Anthony Saines said it was the holy grail of advertising to put ads in front of people who were interested in the product, and the practice could improve sales conversions by 600 per cent.

"You're never going to know individuals. You're just going to know browsers," he said.

David Vaile, executive director of the Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre at the University of NSW, said ad targeting was not a "victimless activity".

"In the US this has gone beyond consumer product preferences to political preferences and maybe sexual preferences," he said. "There may be advertising of gambling to people who you already know have a weakness and an inability to stop."

Mr Saines said Sensis would focus on advertising products such as cars to people who had shown they were about to buy one, and subversive persuasion for contentious categories would not be allowed.

-- 
Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Sydney Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au