Most people who use the internet on a regular basis will have noticed that many advertisements they see on their computer are related to their specific interests. This happens because some advertisers monitor the pages visited by each IP address and use this information to target advertising by people who use that IP address (every computer has a unique IP address). The movie Minority Report takes place in the future. The main character is bombarded by advertisements in the physical world which are keyed to his past shopping history or known personal preferences. If behavioral targeting can work in the online world, why not the physical world as well? The problem is, no-one has agreed to being targetted like this, and many people find it disturbing and intrusive. On the other hand, it does make life very convenient since we are able to receive notifications of products we might actually want rather than being bombarded indiscriminately with advertising. What do you think? Is behavioural advertising sensible, or unethical?
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www.behavioraladvertising.org/
www.zmogo.com/web/the-ethics-of-behavioral-targeting/
It is proposed that behavioural advertising is acceptable without needing permission from users