Rights warriors claim online ad auction data a danger to national security

Online ad auctions represent a threat to national security in the US and Europe, a civil rights group claims, because the data that enables personalized advertising could be used to compromise civilian and military leaders. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), a Dublin-based advocacy organization, issued two reports …

[Alumoi]

...data that enables personalized advertising could be used to compromise civilian and military leaders...

So it's OK for the peasants but not for the leaders?

Naah, that's not it. Wait, I've got it! It's OK when it's done by the state but it's evil if it's done by private companies.

[lglethal]

I believe this is more along the lines of:

Minion: Sir, we've discovered that ad companies are selling personal information that could compromise members of the public.

Politician: Bah! If those people didnt want to be embarrased, they shouldnt be doing naughty things. Serves them right, if they get caught out...

Minion: Ahhh Sir, it turns out they're also selling personal information about your visits to Cross Dressers Weekly and the Man Boy Love Association!

Politician: This is an outrage! We have to protect the public from these evil ad companies. How dare they compromise people's personal information! (And I was looking for the Marlon Brando Look Alikes website, honest *cough*)

[Anonymous Coward]

Scam out-bidding real businesses

Sometimes I see a lot of annoying, but honest business ads. But there are days when only scam is shown. That means scam pays more, and is more profitable than real business.

What if media-companies earn considerable portion of their revenue from crime and are organized crime enablers? Enablers of hate speech and public disorder, they are, in my opinion.

Taming ad-business will not harm real business. The measure will stimulate other tech areas, as googles and facebooks would still want earning money, but hopefully from more productive, beneficial, (and well) harder business activities.

[Anonymous Coward]

"are willing to bid more if they know that you, ..., are deemed valuable"

Sounds a bit like a slave auction :(

As many have stated previously: on the internet - you are the product.

[Filippo]

Re: "are willing to bid more if they know that you, ..., are deemed valuable"

Very nearly. They are selling a second of your time. You know, one of those seconds every one of us only has a limited supply of, and that you can't get any more of. You don't get anything in return for that second, and you haven't consented to giving it to them.

[Will Godfrey]

Only one answer

See icon!

[Evil Scot]

Re: Only one answer

From orbit.

To be certain.

[A. Coatsworth]

Re: Only one answer

Things are so dire, I don't even care if we don't take off beforehand...

[Little Mouse]

Riddle me this...

Given that $$$ is already being spent behind the scenes on "targeted" advertising, how come the best the industry can seem to manage is to insert the name of a nearby town or city into adverts for utterly random shite?

[DS999]

Re: Riddle me this...

Google is a black box. As they say, they don't share the personal data with advertisers they use it in their algorithms for targeting. They tell the advertisers "trust us, we have collected tons of personal information so our targeting is great". But there is no way for the advertisers to verify that, or to know whether that targeting is worth the extra cost versus old school untargeted advertising - where you show ads for golf clubs on a golf site, or ads for wiper bladers on a car site. If Google knows you're a golf nut, how useful is it to golf club makers to show you ads on El Reg? When you're reading this site, golf is not on your mind, so I would think such an ad would be much less effective.

The poor localization is probably because geolocation is crap. If your IP address geolocates to a place 40 miles away from you like mine does, then if you see an ad for "hot singles in 'x' want to meet you" you'll see that town's name or the name of the largest nearby city in that ad.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Riddle me this...

"you'll see that town's name or the name of the largest nearby city in that ad."

I'm surprised anybody reading this website sees ANY adverts on IT that they control. Obviously if they're using enterprise IT without adblockers then yes, you'll be exposed to the mind numbing horrors of online advertising:

"THIS is the low cost cremation plan over 50s have been waiting for!"

"If you have toenail fungus, do this immediately!"

"Find a home lift that meets your needs!"

"Bone on bone knee troubles? Try this in the morning!"

"Single over 50 in Shrewsbury ? See who's on Ourtime!"

"Brits are using this trick to warm up homes almost for free!"

"Forget Anti-Ageing Cream, Use This Household Item To Fill In Wrinkles"

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Riddle me this...

And the answers for those of you playing at home are:

Garden bonfire

Pull it off with pliers (similar words permitted)

None

Cheap vodka

Sex-crazed wrinklies

Arson

Polyfilla

[Alumoi]

Targeted advertising is not targeting you but those suckers with more money than brains that believe advertising works.

The only people who gain in this business are those doing the advertising.

[Snowy]

Like the gold rush, most of the money was made selling shovels!

[Alumoi]

Shoveling shit down the internet, right!

[Scott 26]

Just promote the use of adblockers.... simple.

[Tron]

These people are paranoid.

Given the opportunity, they would ban the entire internet.

[ecofeco]

Crazy commie talk!

Only a gotdam commie would think not knowing which hand everyone wipes their arse with, is a good thing!

Do I really need the /s tag? Oh wait. Modern times. *sigh*

/s