The Dark Side of EMarketing
NYT article: To Aim Ads, Web is Keeping Closer Eye On You
I don’t worry too much about “Big Brother” government - after all, this is the same bunch who forgot to pay their phone bill for illegal wiretapping and are scared of “radical, militant librarians.”
What concerns me is private industry. Where there’s a dollar to be made, there’s a way!
Here’s some oh-so-reasonable rationale from Mr. Softy in the NYT article:
“What is targeting in the long term?” said Michael Galgon, Microsoft’s chief advertising strategist. “You’re getting content about things and messaging about things that are spot-on to who you are.”
Well, yes, Mr. Gaigon, but that doesn’t mean I want you knowing the intimate details of my life. These days, you can find out just about anything about anyone - but that doesn’t mean you should. Rather like reading your kid sister’s diary. “But, Moommmmm, it was just laying there on the bed.”
And AOL explaining targeting with a penguin is just downright insulting. What’s their target? 4-year-olds? “Mr. Penguin???”
All comes down to - just because we can doesn’t mean we should. There’s a little thing called “respect for the customer.”
Read More: Microsoft Seeks Patent for Office Spy Software
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Tags: marketing, marketing troubleshooting, emarketing, web ads, Microsoft
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