Is anyone else becoming slightly nervous or worried about how much information businesses know about us from our internet use? If you search up a product such as a bed mattress, chances are that you will be seeing pop up ads for mattresses next time you are on the internet. Information about our searches are being stored through the use of cookies. When you visit a site, a cookie is downloaded onto your device. The next time you visit that site, your device checks to see if it has a cookie that is relevant to the site. The site then ‘knows’ that you have been there before, and in some cases, tailors what appears on the screen. Cookies are not all bad, they can be very helpful in saving website preferences and can remember what you have already seen. However, information is being stored about you, which some people can find uncomfortable.
Most people who I have spoken to are not overly concerned about impersonal information being stored about them, and it can even be helpful by seeing ads in products that they actually have an interest in. However, there is an ethical dilemma, that with information gathered, bots which send out advertisements, may be able to target vulnerable people. For example, bots may be able to detect that a particular consumer has a strong interest in sports cars, so will send them ads for expensive sports cars. However, through other information, the bot may also know that the consumer in deep in debt, lacks self-control and has a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Would it still be okay for the bot to target this person with sportscar advertisements?
As the internet continues to grow and do things that we never thought were possible, it becomes more evident that there are not many regulations helping to ensure that these innovations and updates are in the best interest for the consumer and society as a whole. The man who invited the internet; Tim Berners-Lee has even said that we have lost control of our personal data, and that something needs to be changed.
So, if situations such as the above scenario become more common, and businesses begin to purposely target people who are vulnerable, but are also likely to be a very profitable customer, should something be done to prevent, or at least regulate it? Should our governments be monitoring what is happening more closely and implement laws to stop businesses from taking advantage of consumers? Or should consumers take responsibility for their actions and learn to ignore ads that have been targeted to them? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Digital Marketing 