I don’t see the problem here.
Google on Wednesday officially announced its entry into the fray of contextualized advertising—serving up advertisements in accordance with a user’s prior Web-surfing habits. The move, which has raised alarm in the privacy community, carries an unprecedented privacy twist: Google users will now be able to see and edit the information the company collects about them.
That strategy may mean more effective, targeted advertisements, but one might wonder why any consumer would join an effort to lure him or her into spending more.
Advertising is about offering goods and services. I am going to be offered goods and services regardless of whether this sort of arrangement is in place or not. But if I choose to buy more, I have to take responsibility for that, not Google. And, if I’m behaving responsibly, then if I buy more, it’s because more valuable services and goods were offered to me. That’s not a bad thing. Indeed, that’s arguably a very good thing, akin to what Amazon does when I log in and buy and browse stuff.
Besides which, if it increases the revenue streams from online ads, that makes the Internet a much more viable concern for content to be supported, not by access fees, but by ads. Again, that’s not a bad thing.
And how is this going to work?
In addition to being the first major company to give users the ability to see and edit the information that it has compiled, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is adopting the practice of competitors like Yahoo in letting users opt out of what it is calling “interest-based advertising.”
Google said that it will segment users along 20 categories and nearly 600 subcategories, but won’t create categories for certain hot-button privacy interests, including race, religion, sexual orientation or certain types of financial or health concerns.
So it’s not much different from the contextualized ads I used to have in my blog, only tailored by my Google interactions. Wow, not really Teh Evil if you ask me. And if I can see how they are classifying me, and correct any mistakes — and, heck, opt out if I want … I think it’s all a good thing.
(via Les)