Many headlines Wednesday on Google Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) new advertising beta, which serves ads based upon users' interests, rather than simple keyword associations.
Much of the technology that is driving this change comes from Google's $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick Inc. The technology, which is already used by other online advertisers, tracks the Web pages a particular user visits by placing cookies in their browser and then associates areas of interest with that user.
In a
post Wednesday, Google vice president of project management Susan Wojcicki says this technology makes ads more relevant and useful, but she also acknowledges that it "does raise questions about user choice and privacy."
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To that end, Wojcicki explains how the company will address the privacy
concerns that arise surrounding this kind of targeted advertising. She
says Google includes clickable labels that provide information on how a
particular ad is served; a preferences manager that enables users to
delete or add interest areas associated with their browsers; and an
option to opt out of the company's Adsense advertising partner network.
It's hard to imagine that these options satisfy the privacy advocates who
railed against the DoubleClick deal and behavioral targeting, or BT, but Barry Schwartz at the
Search Engine Land blog thinks it might help.
"There remains a big disconnect then between the intensifying use of BT
by publishers and search engines and consumer concerns about privacy," he writes.
"The Google approach offers a potential reconciliation of that divide
but we'll have to see how it works out in practice."
- Olaf de Senerpont Domis
