smart, useful, scary, creepy:
Post on 24-Feb-2016
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PERCEPTIONS OF ONLINE BEHAVIORAL
ADVERTISING
Smart, Useful, Scary, Creepy:
Privacy Concerns
OBA = Online Behavioral Advertising According to the U.S. Federal Trade
Commission:Data collection can be sneakyPrivacy notices are not easy to
understandUser profiles are potentially too detailed
Could be uniquely identifiableProfiles could contain sensitive data
Info about health, finances, children
Problems
Users do not understand how OBA works Many misconceptions about how and what data is
collected Misunderstand the role of advertising networks
Users are unaware of the control they have over their own privacy regarding OBA Users misinterpret the warning signs of OBA Users misconstrue how to control the monitoring of their
behaviorSolution:
Understand how internet consumers perceive OBA to better inform them and protect their privacy by employing more effective Notice and Choice mechanisms
What OBA Is and How It Works
Goal: to construct a profile of an Internet user using his or
her browsing habits used in targeted advertisingData:
visible content from the site a user is visiting explicitly, and invisible content from a third-party that has a relationship with the visited website
Third parties: advertising networks, analytics companies, social
networksHow:
A cookie identifies a user across partner sites to track browsing history
Users’ Impressions of Internet Advertising
Negative: Annoying, unnecessary, distracting, interfering Associated with pop-ups Unfounded fears
Useful: Helped users find new products Helps fund free services
Users’ Impressions on How OBA Works
Based on browsing history and web searchesHoped actual monitoring is hypotheticalSome aware of cookies but don’t understand
detailsBelieved data like purchase history could be
boughtSome thought that interaction with the ad was
necessaryTargeted advertising only happens on websites
like Facebook, Gmail, or Amazon Customization is good Privacy invasion is bad
OBA Icons
Goal: inform users that their data is being collected
Users’ perceptions Many had never seen the icons before, even when shown in
context with advertisements Some felt that icons meant “internet based ads” or
represented “great deals online” No one realized what the icons were actually trying to tell
them Some thought they allowed users to choose what type of ads
they would receive Some thought that clicking on the icon would let them tell
the advertisers about their interests, perhaps providing a list of subjects
OBA Icons continued…
Users’ perceptions Solicited companies to buy an ad Clicking would lead to pop-ups Clicking would yield more
information about currently advertised product or expand the advertisement
Clicking would allow advertisers to track the user
Meant to legitimize the ad and distinguish it from the page content
Result: ineffective
Users’ OBA Pros
After being informed, users concluded:Help users find things they are interested inProvide a more relevant and interesting
internet experienceHelp users save money by finding dealsAdvertisers can make more money by
targeting the right usersWebsite that host OBA can make more money
Users’ OBA Cons
After being informed, users concluded:The idea that they could be monitored is
creepyConcerning that this observation is silentUncomfortable that third parties put “things”
on their computers without explicit permission
Offended by being stereotyped by advertisers because online activity is not an accurate representation of a person Ex: research
Users’ OBA Cons continued…
Uncomfortable that clicking something on accident or someone else using their computer is included in their profile
Insecure: what else can people learn about them through their computers? Many believed that advertisers have access to
personally identifiable information which can be given to another party and/or used maliciously
Equivalent to someone following you around watching everything you do Changes your behavior if you know you’re being
watched
Who Does the Collecting Matters
Familiar company Google vs. unfamiliar company BlueKai Users trust that Google is not mal-intentioned
A company with too much user information Google collecting info can help in search but need to be
careful when drawing the line because they also manage email and documents
Reputation as a viable corporation Yahoo and AOL not trustworthy because they are not as
financially stable and may do unpredictable things with users’ data in desperation
Microsoft is untrustworthy because people don’t like their products
Users’ Methods to Stop OBA
Delete browsing history: cookies and cacheDepend on computer security tools
anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, firewalls, proxies, LinuxWeb browser should support controlling OBA
Private browsing Unaware of plugins or specific software
Ignore the ads Ad-blocking software, unsubscribing from emails Never clicking on ads
Websites should be able to stop OBA Unsure if they exist but they should oversee online marketing
None were aware of self-regulatory websites, opt-out programs, or “Do Not Track”
Users’ Conclusions
Mixed bag OBA can help users find deals when planning a
vacation, but advertisers can know when the consumers aren’t home
OBA is okay situationally Reading the news vs. researching STD symptoms
Desired solutions Less distracting and interfering advertising Explicit user feedback: Have companies inquire about
user interests as opposed to collecting user behavior More awareness of how everything works
Notice and Choice
Industry self-regulation Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Network Advertising Initiative (NAI)
Goal: give users notice about OBA and the choice to opt-out so they have more control over their privacy
DAA principles: Consumer Control
Opt-out of targeted advertisements Transparency
Advertising option icon
More Effective Notice and Choice
Better communicate that icons and text signals are meant for customers and are not solicitations for advertisers
Change location so that icon does not seem like part of the ad that could provide more information
Give users more choices to meet their expectations Users believed that they could make choices about the types of ads
they could receive, and they should be able to specify interest categories or correct incorrect profiles
Create different opt-out methods or better inform users about current opt-out methods Many believed in simply deleting their cookies, but that would
actually counteract opt-out cookie mechanisms Current methods, such as clicking on the icon or visiting another
website, are counterintuitive
Ad Choices
More Effective Notice and Choice cont…
Better inform users of how tracking occurs whether or not they interact with the advertisement Users instinctively avoid clicking on ads to avoid being tracked, but that is
currently how they can control OBAEmphasize the difference between security and privacy
Inform users that OBA is not related to virusesStress the difference between company services and advertising
The Windows OS is different from Microsoft Advertising, so users should not make decisions based on companies’ products.
Allow for more situational OBA OBA can be more or less appropriate depending on the browsing context, for
both privacy reasons and usefulness. Users should be able to specify which topics are available for data collection.
Encourage browsers to meet user expectation or make users aware of current browser tools
Conclusion
Most users are partially or fully against OBA “smart but creepy” OBA is not as dangerous as users think it is
Attitudes influenced by: Incorrect assumptions of what and how much data is collected Misunderstanding of the parties involved in OBA and how they operate Misconstruing the profiling technology
Current notice and choice methods are failing Users should be properly informed of the practice of tailoring
advertising Users should be aware of how to control OBA
Current methods to control OBA are limited and difficult to use
Users’ understanding of OBA need to be considered in notice and choice mechanisms
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