The Next Frontier of Consumer Exploitation By Corporations

First time accepted submitter alisonuw writes "So what if Google knows where I'm planning my next vacation and suggests hotels for me? Sure, it's creepy, but is there really any harm in companies tracking my info to target ads to me? Professor Ryan Calo (UW law) is out with a new paper that demonstrates the real harm behind these practices, making consumers vulnerable to making decisions that go against their self-interest (ie: predatory lending, price inflation, etc). The Atlantic has an article today that outlines the new research."

Comments

Back off, Taco Cowboy, and grow a spine

[GPS Pilot]

I love that certain services, like Gmail and broadcast television, are paid for by advertising instead of by me. And targeted advertising is nothing new. If you tuned in to a soap opera in 1965, you were far more likely to see an ad for cookware than for a pickup truck.

Since I have chosen to accept advertising in my life, by using ad-supported services, I prefer to see targeted ads. They're far better than the alternative: random ads that have no relevance for me and are a poor match to my interests, location, and culture. Best of all, because targeted ads are more effective, it takes fewer of them to fund the service that I'm using.

If an advertised product does not meet my needs, or is not an exceptionally good value, my spine and willpower are strong enough to resist the advertiser's appeal. TFA asserts that "profit-seeking corporations are gaining an insurmountable edge in their efforts to get people to part with their money." Hardly. I am just as tightfisted with my dough as I ever was, and it's inconceivable that will change. I laugh in the face of their so-called "insurmountable edge." By contrast, the author of TFA wrote, "There may be nothing particularly embarrassing or personal about my vulnerabilities as a consumer, but I do not especially want to share them with companies so that I can be manipulated for their financial gain." It's profoundly sad that her confidence in her own ability to be a discriminating consumer is so paper-thin.

If some people lack the fortitude to resist advertising, they are the true sheeple. I support efforts to teach them critical thinking skills and provide consumer education. Beyond that, keep your hands off my freedom to use advertiser-supported services.