Google Turns on Behavioral Targeting

Barry Schwartz has a long post on SEL, to which I’ve added a privacy related addendum, about the introduction of what Google is calling “interest-based targeting.” It’s BT with an interesting twist: consumers can opt-out and/or indicate preferences that impact the ads seen.

Here’s the explanatory companion video:

There’s an apparent and potentially growing contradiction between consumer attitudes toward BT and the increasing adoption of it by online advertisers and publishers. As one example, Burst Media recently found (n=4,000 US adults):

• Over 60% of respondents are aware of the tracking, collecting and sharing of information that occurs as a result of online activities.
• Respondents do not see value in ads targeted to them based on their web surfing behavior – even if it improves their web surfing experience

Burst also found that “based strictly on a description – advertisements more relevant to interest – only one-in-five (23.2%) respondents would not mind if non-personally identifiable information was collected if ads were better targeted.”

Google’s “preferences” approach — allowing people to specify areas of interest — together with the ability to opt out of targeting may offer a way to bridge the privacy divide.

What do you think?

As an  indication of how important and sensitive this is, see not one, not two but all three Google blog posts:

• Official Google Blog
• Public Policy Blog
• Inside AdSense