A USA Today/Gallup poll found that a "Do Not Track" measure has the broad support of the American public. This "DNT" list, which is now being discussed by the Federal Trade Commission, would be very similar to the "Do Not Call" list that became popular earlier this decade in that marketers would not be able to track and contact people with ads that match their search and website history.
As of this poll, 61% of people responded that the invasion of privacy was not worth the free access. At the moment, behavioral ad targeting is becoming a more and more lucrative business.
The practice of behavioral ad targeting, a $1.1 billion business per eMarketer, is getting more notice among Internet users with 61 percent saying they have noticed that ads are targeted to them based on the Web sites they visited. When data collection is taken into consideration, the business is more likely in the range of $7-8 billion dollar industry.
This type of advertising is very popular among corporations, as it makes it much cheaper to target their customers and not waste advertising dollars marketing to those who have no interest in their products. For all business reasons, it makes sense. However, the last few years has seen a growing concern for privacy online and the leakage of information that perhaps shouldn't be leaked, i.e. your medical history.
For an industry that has lacked any regulation through its history, the behavioral targeting segment of business could soon take a sharp turn. Only leading to more creative and enhanced advertising schemes by brands in the future.
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