Online Behavioral Advertising and the Ethics of Privacy

Several years ago, a writer for Ad Age, the advertising industry’s major trade publication, wrote about “the pants that stalked him around the web.” The writer, Michael Learmonth (2010), searched for some shorts online and that’s when he said the “weirdness began.” Just the act of browsing resulted in Criteo (an advertising retargeting firm) serving him display ads for shorts available at Zappos-everywhere he went online. Most of us have had similar experiences and some of us wonder just how companies are gathering this information and how they are using it. Most of us are guilty of thoughtlessly clicking “Agree” when a website asks us to agree to their terms of service that also outline how the site will use and potentially share and sell our data. However, as this chapter explains, increasingly sophisticated technology poses real threats to individuals’ privacy. These threats can include employers or criminals using your personal information to deny you a job or steal your identity. The chapter examines online behavioral advertising (OBA), the benefits it offers to consumers who want advertising relevant to themselves as well as the ethical challenges the practice offers.