Since Google first pioneered the use of targeted advertising in the late 1990s, the phenomenon has gone unregulated – with potentially serious consequences. Nathalie Maréchal, a senior research fellow at Ranking Digital Rights, takes a look at the history of targeted advertising and its effects on journalism, society and democracy.
Online advertising is nothing new. The strategy is simple: First, grow your user base; then, gather data about the users; next, analyze that data to define specific target groups for advertisers’ messages; and finally, rake in the cash. For a time, this strategy seemed to work for everyone: Users saw only ads they were likely to find relevant, advertisers were able to reach the people most interested in their offers and online companies made handsome profits. However, a decade after former US president Barack Obama used online advertising methods to boost his 2008 election campaign, authoritarians around the world employ the same...
Nathalie Maréchal, PhD, is a senior research fellow at Ranking Digital Rights, where she studies the impact of information and communication technology companies’ business practices on human rights.
Comment on this summary