Tracking Web Surfer Clicks Comes Under Greater Scrutiny

[engine]

AFTER reading about how Internet companies like Google, Microsoft and Yahoo collect information about people online and use it for targeted advertising, one New York assemblyman said there ought to be a law.So he drafted a bill, now gathering support in Albany, that would make it a crime — punishable by a fine to be determined — for certain Web companies to use personal information about consumers for advertising without their consent.

And because it would be extraordinarily difficult for the companies that collect such data to adhere to stricter rules for people in New York alone, these companies would probably have to adjust their rules everywhere, effectively turning the New York legislation into national law.

Tracking Web Surfer Clicks Comes Under Scrutiny [nytimes.com]

[edited by: engine at 6:50 pm (utc) on Mar. 20, 2008]

[maximillianos]

Most sites that use ads already have a permission clause in place in their terms and conditions. Or am I missing the point?

[grelmar]

Methinks yet another politician is about to make a fool of himself due to his lack of understanding about this interweb thingy.

[phranque]

"it's a series of tubes"...

[Gomvents]

"I use the internets to look at websites such as The Google. I like The Google maps. I like to look at my ranch in The Google. it's great. I wish I was at my ranch. I like my ranch. I think The Google is great. I searched for my last name on The Google and it showed me photos on naked woman. The Google for fix this error. (making weird smirk). I do like the Google Maps however." George W Bush

[Edge]

"Tracking Web Surfer Clicks" How is this different from a retailer studying your store credit card purchases and sending you a targeted advertisement in the mail?

Is this marketing strategy realy new or different in the market place?

[edited by: Edge at 3:53 pm (utc) on Mar. 20, 2008]

[aleksl]

IMHO this is yet another push by OLD MONEY to corner the escaping advertisers that are running for their lives to the internet - where you can actually TRACK things :-)

[incrediBILL]

Personally, I'd rather see targeted ads about things I'm interested in than a bunch of random noise that clutters up most pages. If these politicians realized that most people are using DHCP and can't really be tracked unless they accept a cookie at their own discretion, or perform a LOGIN to identify themselves, they wouldn't jump up and down so much.

OK, I know I'm about to drift slightly off topic but this topic of personalized tracking hits a sore spot.

Here's where I have issues...

Maybe they should be more concerned about the mobile phone tracking technology, think about the ads on "Minority Report".

Remember the personalized advertising as Tom Cruise walked past the signs?

It's all possible today thanks to your cell phone!

Whether the sign talks to the person walking by or your proximity to the location results in your cell phone getting a text message, it's the same thing. Just wait until you get a discount coffee coupon as you get near StarBucks or a discount for a Big Mac as you stroll close to McD's, that's going to be intrusive. Not only that, just in case you don't know how to get to the place, they'll include a little map from your current location.

If you don't think it's coming, the technology is basically here and people are already testing it.

Your phone number typically isn't a cookie you can easily discard either like the online tracking issue.

Speaking of tracking things, anyone use those FastTrak passes for toll roads?

Yup, with a combination of cell phones and electronic toll payment big brother is watching us and know exactly where we are at all times, just don't show targeted advertising and let the masses know they're being tracked.

Maybe Google should just donate to the New York assemblyman's re-election campaign and make this all go away.

[edited by: incrediBILL at 6:30 pm (utc) on Mar. 20, 2008]

[chetan]

How is this different from a retailer studying your store credit card purchases and sending you a targeted advertisement in the mail? I don't think it is legal and not all retailers have access to such data CC, Address etc [The series of theft last year revelaed, retailers are not supposed to store any CC data]

Google uses Tracking to some extent, but I always thought it was the Context Sensitive advertising platform that is giving it an edge over MicroHoo.

[michael webster]

The FTC pre-empted this almost a year ago