Behavioral Targeting
The following information is from the following websites
Note: I found the N.A.I. website. I do not know if they actually control the behavioral Targeting or if it is even safe. Posting here for information only. Please do your own research and make your own determination from it.
If you have gone to various websites and then start noticing that items that you have looked at is appearing in ads, that is Behavioral targeting. Another words, if you went to NewEgg.com and looked at motherboards, then you went to MSNBC.com. As you are looking at MSNBC, you notice ads for motherboards from NewEgg. That is an example of Behavioral Targeting.
Marketers use this to tailor the ads towards the individual consumer. The advantage of this, is that the consumer will only see ads for items that he or she is interested in. This may actually help the consumer in their search for a product.
However some feel this is an invasion of privacy. There is always a security risk involved also. The marketers are able to track where you have been by cookies that has been placed on your system.
What is a Cookie?
A cookie, also known as an HTTP cookie, web cookie, or browser cookie, is usually a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in a user's web browser while a user is browsing a website. When the user browses the same website in the future, the data stored in the cookie can be retrieved by the website to notify the website of the user's previous activity.[1] Cookies were designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites to remember the state of the website or activity the user had taken in the past. This can include clicking particular buttons, logging in, or a record of which pages were visited by the user even months or years ago.
Although cookies cannot carry viruses, and cannot install malware on the host computer,[2] tracking cookies and especially third-party tracking cookies are commonly used as ways to compile long-term records of individuals' browsing histories — a major privacy concern that prompted European and US law makers to take action in 2011.
For more information on a cookie, click here.
How It Works
Most advertisers rely on ad networks to
do their behavioral targeting for them. Ad networks are essentially
middlemen technology companies that partner with hundreds (sometimes
thousands) of websites for access to information about
visitor traffic. With technology that’s been around since the
inception of Netscape in 1995, websites drop “cookies,” or
small pieces of data, onto consumers’ hard drives to keep track of
user preferences, the contents of their electronic shopping carts,
their searches, and details on where and when users click on a site.
Websites also collect visitors’ IP addresses — the numerical code
that identifies each computer connected to the Web and its
geographic location. With this raw data, an advertising network can
use software and analytics to identify consumers with like interests
and Web surfing habits. The networks then sell advertisers access to
these niche audiences.
The drawback here is that ad networks can only track consumers when they click within websites that have partnered with the networks themselves. In the last year, however, more sophisticated tools for targeting emerged, which let ISPs track consumers wherever they go on the Web. The ad serving companies that developed the technology haven’t disclosed usage statistics.
CBS News goes into more detail on Behavioral Targeting. Please visit the page for more information.
Are you safe?
There is a debate on this issue. Supposedly, the tracking is done by cookies. The cookies do not give your personal information. These companies only know you by a number the cookie generates. They claim that a website cookie cannot carry viruses and cannot infect your system.
I disagree with that. I feel in general they are correct on that. However I have found there is no definite rules when it comes to a computer. As technology changes, rules change as to what a computer and what software can do. As things evolve, so do hackers evolve. They find new ways to infect systems.
That is why it is important to stay vigilant when it comes to using your computer and browsing the internet. Here is some tips.
Can you stop Behavioral Targeting?
Not entirely. However you can clear your cookies after you leave a website. This will help. However if you clear your cookies, any site that you have to sign into, will require you to input information that you have saved previously because it will not be retained.
There is a website called Network Advertising Initiate - NAI that allows you to opt out of targeting advertising by the companies that are participating with this organization. It will not stop it entirely. Not all advertising groups are involved with NAI. I stumbled upon this website. I cannot state that they actually do what they claim or even if it is safe. If they do what they claim, it will be a useful tool for those that do not want to get targeted. Please do your own research on this site.