5/12/2017 1 Comment THE oVERViEW (blog #15)Ad Targeting Technologies
Behavioral Targeting has become one of the most popular strategies to help companies publicize their products and obtain a bigger audience. Companies rely heavily on advertising, and behavioral targeting is one of the most widely used strategies. But how exactly does behavioral ad targeting work? Behavioral targeting is very specific, therefore in order for companies to tailor the best ad for someone. They have to learn about the customers that they are planning to target, this means that they have to rely on technology to help them. Companies track the customer's activity and store data to create a profile that will tell help them learn about each individual. In order to collect the data, companies use technologies such as cookies, web beacons, persistent IDs, and third party vendors. All of these technologies, help companies gather information in different ways. Cookies are text files that store user’s web browsing information if the application contains cookies then there is a good chance that information is collected. Although cookies are the most common way to collect data if the consumer cleans the browser's cookies than companies no longer have access to it. Another method to collect data is through, web beacons, this technology unlike cookies can not be erased and allows companies to always have the browsing data. Web beacons are transparent images, placed on the website or application, that track activity and send it to a data collection center. Another technology, that is being widely implemented especially in social media, is persistent IDs. A persistent ID is an identification number given at login of a site. This ID then allows for record collection across devices. For instance, if user logins into to Facebook through a laptop and then through a cell phone, if the company is using cookies and web beacons then they have data from two different devices and can not be related. However, if they are using a persistent id then all data collected from all different devices can be matched to a specific user. All of the data they collected then it is given to algorithms that will determine that best ad given a user's online activity. Aside from this technologies, companies also obtain user information from other vendors, such as social media and rewards programs. All of these methods allow companies to learned about their users to provide them with a personalized and better shopping experience. Ethical Issue Advertising has two basic jobs, to persuade someone to buy a product and to inform their audience. On the past advertising was mainly done through the radio, television, and billboards. More recently, online advertising and new advertising strategies are providing customers with personalized and relevant ads. Along with these new strategies, controversies around target advertising also rose. According to Ben Walker ", every day 2.5 Quintillion bytes of data are created" around the world. This is a lot of data that Companies can use to improved target advertising. However, the question is the collection of personal data without knowledge is violating consume's right of privacy? A research done at Ryerson University showed that 68% of their responders felt that companies are invading their privacy.About 57% of the responders thought that target ads were invasive and "creepy"[]. Consumers are concerned that too much data is collect for ad targeting, that leads to a negative view for targeting. Although the amount of personal data that is obtained for ad targeting is concerning there are some benefits for the consumers are aware of it. researched showed that about 57% thought advertising is important for that internet and the free services. Just in androids play store, 70% of the applications are free and about 80% of free applications rely on ads. Consumers do are less likely to pay and prefer to watch an ad for the service. However, with targeted advertising, there is a drawback of having ads for free services. With personalized advertising, consumers only see ads that are relevant to them, creating a "filter bubble". This means that consumers are not exposed to other content. This can lead to misinformation. It appears like advertising has both benefited and hinder society. Which leads the question should target advertising be banned? source 1 source 2
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Advertisement has had a great impact on the economy, however, people question whether is good for society. It past years multiple questions have raised regarding digital ad targeting. People wonder if too many personal information is been collected that can possibly affect the services they offer them online. Users also question the methods used to gather the information, at times the consumers are not even aware that they are being tracked or that data is being collected while they browse the web. These are the things that lead to the distrust of the consumers and use of ad blockers. In the article, "This Student Project Could Kill Digital Ad Targeting" by Katie Kaye we are able to see how people are concerned about their privacy that they start building they own ways to inform and reduce the amount of data collection Advertisement has had a great impact on the economy, however, people question whether is good for society. It past years multiple questions have raised regarding digital ad targeting. People wonder if too many personal information is been collected that can possibly affect the services they offer them online. Users also question the methods used to gather the information, at times the consumers are not even aware that they are being tracked or that data is being collected while they browse the web. These are the things that lead to the distrust of the consumers and use of ad blockers. In the article, "This Student Project Could Kill Digital Ad Targeting" by Katie Kaye we are able to see how people are concerned about their privacy that they start building they own ways to inform and reduce the amount of data collection done by ad targeting. Ms. Law designed and created a game that also acts as an adblocker as well as a teaching platform. Ms. Law explains that she doesn't think that advertising is harmful however she does think that when personal information is being shared to decide what services Advertisement has had a great impact on the economy, however, people question whether is good for society. It past years multiple questions have raised regarding digital ad targeting. People wonder if too many personal information is been collected that can possibly affect the services they offer them online. Users also question the methods used to gather the information, at times the consumers are not even aware that they are being tracked or that data is being collected while they browse the web. These are the things that lead to the distrust of the consumers and use of ad blockers. In the article, "This Student Project Could Kill Digital Ad Targeting" by Katie Kaye we are able to see how people are concerned about their privacy that they start building they own ways to inform and reduce the amount of data collection done by ad targeting. Ms. Law designed and created a game that also acts as an adblocker as well as a teaching platform. Ms. Law explains that she doesn't think that advertising is harmful until "confidential" information is shared. Ms. Law believes that targeted advertisement should be a choice for both advertisers and users. I think that the fact the people are taking the time and going out of their way to reduce the amount of targeting done, then we should reconsider reducing the amount of digital advertising or encouraging more transparency. If people are more informed about digital ad targeting then they are more likely to stop blocking the ads and companies will not lose advertisement revenue. I think this can be considered under the common good approach, in this case, the customers are the majority and the most vulnerable so reducing the amount of targeting and advertising will make a large group of people happy and more comfortable and companies are still able to provide and promote their services through the use of digital advertising. done by ad targeting. Ms. Law designed and created a game that also acts as an adblocker as well as a teaching platform. Ms. Law explains that she doesn't think that advertising is harmful however she does think that when personal information is being shared to decide what services Advertisement has had a great impact on the economy, however, people question whether is good for society. It past years multiple questions have raised regarding digital ad targeting. People wonder if too many personal information is been collected that can possibly affect the services they offer them online. Users also question the methods used to gather the information, at times the consumers are not even aware that they are being tracked or that data is being collected while they browse the web. These are the things that lead to the distrust of the consumers and use of ad blockers. In the article, "This Student Project Could Kill Digital Ad Targeting" by Katie Kaye we are able to see how people are concerned about their privacy that they start building they own ways to inform and reduce the amount of data collection done by ad targeting. Ms. Law designed and created a game that also acts as an adblocker as well as a teaching platform. Ms. Law explains that she doesn't think that advertising is harmful until "confidential" information is shared. Ms. Law believes that targeted advertisement should be a choice for both advertisers and users. I think that the fact the people are taking the time and going out of their way to reduce the amount of targeting done, then we should reconsider reducing the amount of digital advertising or encouraging more transparency. If people are more informed about digital ad targeting then they are more likely to stop blocking the ads and companies will not lose advertisement revenue. I think this can be considered under the common good approach, in this case, the customers are the majority and the most vulnerable so reducing the amount of targeting and advertising will make a large group of people happy and more comfortable and companies are still able to provide and promote their services through the use of digital advertising.
![]() Just like a lot of people, I found ads very annoying. They pop everywhere and I end up getting distracted while I browse the internet. I like many people some sort of plugging on my browser to block most of the advertisement. I do not mind them collection information on my behavior on the web, but that does not mean that I am happy about having ads floating around everywhere when I am trying to read an article or when I am trying to enjoy a free service on the web. I use to use an adblocker as a way to control the amount of advertisement I get, although this has helped me control a number of ads I see daily, last week while I was trying access TechCrunch a free online news publisher, I was denied access because I was using an ad blocker plugging. I realized that I depend on a lot of free services, however, I don't want to get bothered by advertisements. I think that I this point there has to be a balance of how many ads we get per free service. We have to see this from a utilitarian point of view. As the customer, we want to get the best from free services, but we also want to be able to help companies grow and make a profit so we can continue to have all these free services. In his, article Frederick explains that Gmail has over I billion users active users and google ads make them around $19. 9 billion on advertising. Here we can see how both the consumer and corporation. We continue to have free gmail accounts as long as we allowed them to provide with an advertisement. I think this is a good balance we need to learn that we can no have it all and that other people depend on the blooming of advertisement. It is also important to understand that small business needs to be able to user advertisement to be able to spread their business. A small publisher like TechCrunch probably does not have a lot of sources of revenue so they mostly depend on ads, to be able to keep proving their services. Maybe ads are not so bad after all. Would you be willing to give up some of your privacy for free services? For the most part, when we here advertising, we can’t helped to think about our privacy and misrepresentation, and invasion of personal information. We never sit down and think about how advertising actually has help society economically and socially. As individuals, we worry about where all of our information goes and companies taking advantage of it. Yet, in the article The positive Effects of Advertising, Miranda Morley points out that advertising can be very helpful raising awareness to a large audience. Although, a large amount of ads are usually promoting some sort of product, there are public services that promote the importance of public services, health importance, and non-profit organizations. The constant repetition of ads about a service allow the audience to understand and be inform about the public service. If we think about it, ads can be use for the greater good. A lot of are getting informed about certain things, such as preparing for natural disasters, or promoting sober driving. Aside from promoting public and social services, people see ads are form of self-expression, Miranda Morley, explains that advertising could be a form of freedom of speech, especially in a country that encourages freedom of speech. In a way, ads allow the companies to freely express about their products.
Although, advertising is great for raising awareness and self expression, there is another benefit that ads bring to society. Miranda Marley explains that ads encourage competition, companies are constantly trying to beat their competition by improving or creating new products. According to Marley, as the demand for the products increases, so does the demand for supplies, and the people to manufacture the products. Considering, that we are money driven society advertising made about $32. 7 billion the first half of 2016. We can see that advertising brings a great amount of money. It is interesting to see how much money advertising brings, yet many people still believe that more than helping advertising is harming us. It is important to understand that we have a choice, as stated by Miranda Morley. Ads might be constantly targeting you and possibly monitoring your behavior. You can either fall and buy the product or choice to ignore it. As Morley explains ads exposes you to both sides of the story allowing you to be informed and make the best decision. 3/31/2017 1 Comment Telesurgery #10 Telesurgery is a growing area in the healthcare system. Multiple procedures are already being done with the help of a robot. The success of the multiple surgeries has lead experts and healthcare actors believe that robotic-assisted surgeries can be practical and successful. Allowing the doctors to operate with a robot allows the surgeon to have greater access, visibility, and precision. Robotic platforms are designed with a 3D camera that gives the surgeon the best quality vision. The hands or arms of the robot are designed to simulate all the movements of a surgeon. Doctors state that there are many benefits of robotic surgery. For example, the availability to move around small blood vessels. (Cazac) When a surgeon is performing a surgery it is a great risk when trying to work through small areas. Da Vinci and Zeus were designed to be able to work through the small areas that otherwise a surgeon would have trouble working on. The fact the arms are small enough allow the doctor to focus on a specific area and not worry about cutting or affecting other surrounding areas. The number of tissue damage when performing a procedure with a robot will decrease since the machines are less invasive. Another reason why surgeons support telesurgery is because it allows them to achieve their goal of helping those in need. As stated by Cazac, telesurgery can “increase the number in patients with potential for treating international patients without leaving the hospital” as well as reduce the risk of traveling to remove areas of the country. However, healthcare experts are not the only one that supports telesurgery. Manufacturers agree that having robots in the healthcare system will also help society. Researched done by Cazac and Radu concluded that the use of robots is a better way to spend their money and resources. Cazac explains that the total cost of maintaining a telesurgery platform a year is $ 1,013,426 while the cost of not having telesurgery increases by about eight times more. (Cazac) Also, if more hospitals start using telesurgery platforms creates a new job for manufacturers and engineers as well as technicians in the hospital. Lastly, supporters of telesurgery argue that such procedures are more beneficial for the patient. Since the procedure is less invasive the patient recovery and stays at the hospitals is shorter. In operation Lindbergh, the first patient that was operated with the robot was able to return to her daily activities after two weeks of the procedure. (“Operation ....”) Hospital stays would be shorter for patients with minimally invasive procedures, therefore reducing the number of infections obtain due to long stays at hospitals. Statistics showed that about 722,000 patients contracted an infection during their stay at the hospital.(Dr. Mercola) This goes to show that if people spend less time in the hospital then more they are less likely to contract an infection. Overall, Supporters of telesurgery explain that many people will benefit if robots are incorporated in hospitals.
Although, telesurgery seems to be making remarkable progress in the health care system, there still some people who do not trust a machine with their lives. Opposers argue that there could be multiple things that could go wrong in a procedure when using a robot. Studies show that in order for the procedure to be successful there must be a good connection between the surgeon and the machine. However, in order to obtain the bandwidth required for the surgery is expensive and hospitals on regular communication links. Opting for regular communication skills is cheaper yet it raises questions about privacy and security. A series of experiments and research conducted at the university of Washington by Tamara Bonaci showed that robots are not reliable. Bonaci explains, “Due to the open and uncontrollable nature of communication networks, it becomes easy for malicious entities to jam, disrupt, or take over the communication between a robot and a surgeon,” (Shacklett) The fact that there still people that can hack into the system and take control over the platform raises various concerns on whether doctors should be operating on people under this situation. Another major concern is the cost of implementing robot in the hospital. The price for a machine such as da Vinci is about 2 million plus the cost of a strong a reliable network that is between $100,000 and $200,000. (Wall, 2002) They argue that instead of expanding on high-cost robots hospitals should invest the money on their stuff and services. Another argument that they have is that surgeons do not have the same tactical experience when using a robot, therefore, causing uncertainties and mistakes during the procedure. Some patients have suffered permanent nerve damage due to being held in an unnatural position, as required for some robotic procedures states Howard. (Howard, 2014) situations like this make the patients think twice about robots performing surgery on them. Even Though, the machines are precise if the doctor operating it makes a mistake then there could be consequences. Also, the due to the bad quality connection could delay the performance of the robot that could possibly result in damage to the patient. Overall, even with all the new and improved technology, there is some risk involved in telesurgery that needs to be addressed. source1 source2 3/17/2017 0 Comments BLOg 8I have been talking about how companies and business are tracking a lot of your activity on the web, and how they use It to tailor those annoying ads. I think that it is time that I talk about about some of the ways that you can prevent advertisements from targeting you. It is always good to have some tools to help you, block some ads or at least stop some web applications from retrieving or tracking your some of your information. There are various tools out there designed to help us all with this. If you are tired of getting advertisements all the time and you haven’t already taken any actions to block all the advertisements that you receiving. Then, maybe this is a good post to read. If you want to opt out from companies tracking your online activity from some of the big companies such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, and amazon then here are some of the tips that I found on the web, that will help you avoid all those advertisements. The first plugging I recommend getting for google is ad-blocker this google plugging will definitely get rid of a lot of advertisements when browsing the web. Another way, to stop companies and applications from tracking your behavior then clear your cookies as much as possible and browse the web in incognito. Now if incognito, clearing cookies and ad-blocker are just not enough then here are some specific application settings that you can change to opt out from interest based advertisements in specific online websites. If you are on google an you do not want interest based ads, then go to “google.com/ads/preferences” and turn off ads based on your interests. Amazon uses third party data as well as its on website data. In order, to get rid of personalize ads go to amazon.com/gp/dra/info and select the box that says “personalize ads from amazon for this internet Browser” and clear your cookies and get rid of the settings. If you have an Iphone or Ipad go to settings then privacy and advertising and turn on the “Limit Ad Tracking” and that will limit advertisements from Apple’s network. If you have an Android phone instead, to limit ads go to settings, click on ads and turn off the “interest based ads” .To limit Facebook advertising go to Facebook settings > ad preferences > ad settings and turn off “ads based on my use of websites and apps”. I hope that some of this tips help control the amount of advertisements you see daily. Source 3/10/2017 0 Comments ADVERTISEMENT Transparency Ad targeting on the web it is becoming a real problem for many people. Aside from companies accessing giant amount of data. There are other things that have become an issue since the rise of the ad targeting on the web. Companies are grouping consumers into different labels that will later be use to send specific ads, depending on their visits and behavior. Algorithms are now train to target different groups, however this techniques seem to be targeting people wrongly. In the article, “Probing the Dark Side of Google’s Ad-Targeting System”, Tom Simonite talks about how there are are some inconsistencies with the Ads. The article talks how Carnegie researches create application,“AdFisher”, would test some of google’s ad targeting patterns. Google’s Transparency tool allows their user to block certain advertisements. For example, if you do not want to see advertisements related to your gender or business, then google would filter them and block them so you no longer receive ads.
I think that we are at a point where data means a lot and we are trying to collect a lot of data that people are concern on where all the data is going, or what it is being use for. Data is everywhere and companies can access it. Google has a great source of data I mean we all use google so they have a lot of information from us. How they obtain our data and where it goes however it is very unclear to many of us. People are now more concern and want to know more about how their information is being use. Behavioral analysis is also a big part of advertisements, I can help to wonder if all these patterns can be a bit off since there are time where I go into random websites affecting how they target me. Although, I do not like how companies obtain information from us, sometimes they can help us out to find out about our community and society. All this information can later on be use for the greater good, however if not monitor there can be a lot of issue and civil right fight regarding advertisements. We need to be aware of big Data and how we would be using it for the future. I think we need to defiantly pay attention on how we are using data right now and adjusted for the future. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/539021/probing-the-dark-side-of-googles-ad-targeting-system/ We all are concerned about our privacy, however today people seem to be more concerned about privacy. Before we worried about the government listening to our conversation over the phone; today, we also have to worry about companies obtaining too much information and using it for other things. In the article Privacy Concerns, Online Ad Targeting On Apparent Collision Course mentions that people are taking different measurements to stop companies from obtaining data from them. People are choosing sites that offer a do not track service, or provide false information. I think that if people are taking this kind of measurements to protect their information then sites should take a step back and stop trying to obtain a lot of details from their users. According to the article, consumers are aware that their activities are being track and they do not see any value in ad targeting. I have to say that fact that people are able to figure out my behavior based on online activity and search history is pretty awesome.We are living in a time where technology has help us solve many problems. However, I can’t help to think that if they are able to figure out my shopping behavior with my online history, then what else are companies obtaining from my online profiles. I really do not like the idea of companies obtaining so much information from me.
Even social media has began to promote ads targeting, but how is that social networks obtain information about me. I am sure that they look at my activity to determine what i like. I am also pretty sure they look at my friends activities. Although I am aware of this, I wonder how they know more than what i just post on their page. According to the article “Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything it Really Knows About Them” social media such as Facebook have other sources giving it more information about its users. The information from these sources include details about user’s offline lives says proPublica. This means that information that people are trying to keep away from social media somehow still makes it to their hands. But why do they need this information for and why is the our social activity not enough. I agreed to social sites to have all the rights over whatever I post and give in the page, yet I am concerned about these sites obtaining information that I did not know they were collecting in the first place. I might be exaggerating here but It seems like the meaning of privacy is starting to become irrelevant. 2/17/2017 6 Comments Designer babies (CRISPR) Genetic Engineering, define as the “modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic materials”, has become a controversial topic in the last decade. For year we have modified and alter many organism to help us. We have experimented in plants and animals in order to create better species or at least that is what we would like to think. The video, Genetic Engineering will change everything forever, explains how scientist have modified animals like rat to understand and help us fight certain diseases. We have also taken advantage of genetic modification when it comes to food. In order, to be able to conserve food and make it last longer, certain crops have been added a new characteristic so that they are able to last longer. Genetically modified food has helped in many ways. Now crops last longer making them available for the public for a longer period and less crops going to waste. Also, crops can be grown in less fertile soils since they are engineered to grow in a less rich soil. I think that up to this point everyone has been okay with genetically modifying food and animals to helps us with diseases and food shortage. However, when it comes to genetically engineering your own baby there seems to be a greater controverse. Being able to genetically modified your kids means that if your family has a genetic disorder, you can remove the specific gene sparing your kid from a disease. This is a great idea, at least to me it is. Imagine not having to worry about your kids inheriting color blindness or huntington’s disease. This means that if my kids are no longer carriers of certain disorders than it is possible that no one in my family will have that disease. I am for one all for genetically modifying humans to helps us fight so many disorders.
Although, we are still far from achieving our goal of designer babies. There are factors that raise some concerns about designer babies. Since modifying the gene pool in embryos is still a fairly new procedure, there are some concerns regarding the effectivity genetically modified babies. Maybe modifying our genes will lead to other disorders, instead of helping the babies will can possibly hinder them. There is also the possibility that parents will want to will want to make their kids smarter and better looking which could lead to the creation of classes between designer and non-designer babies. Would this lead to designer babies having better opportunities than non-designer babies? I mean I might be exaggerating when I say this but it is possible that some people might think on creating the perfect race. This could be a big problem since we already see a lot of this in the world. There is a lot to think about when it comes to genetically modifying humans how are we supposed to regulate these new procedures. It might not be yet possible but in a few years it might be possible and we need to have at least an idea on how to approach it. I just one last thought about genetically modifying babies and their families. How much data is being collected from the family? And who has access to this data? Is it possible for companies to access to all of the information collected? In my opinion we might run into some privacy issues when it comes to who stores all of this genetic information and who has access to it. source Privacy is defined as “the state or condition of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people”. Today there is a lot concerns regarding privacy over the web. With the growth of technology business have been changing the way they market their products to the world. Advertising over the web has become a really good way for companies to promote their products at a faster and lower cost. Although, there is an advantage for business, a new issue was raised. Companies are now modifying ads based on search history and personal information. I believe that knowing that companies are looking over personal information is what worries people. Is it correct for companies to monitor our activity? It makes me wonder, how is it possible that looking at my neighbor’s mailbox is not right. However, business invading my information and activity on the internet is not considered incorrect. That is just a thought, I am aware that there are some restrictions regarding what can be advertised and how it suppose to be advertise established by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
I am not at all comfortable with other companies looking at my history and shopping patterns to get me to purchase their products. I feel more vulnerable to the world knowing that companies are easily obtaining demographics about me. Sometimes I don’t even know if I am being track, I think that the fact that I don’t giving any consent is violating my right to privacy. I am not longer free from being observed by other people, since on a daily basis companies are looking at my information. Can I even trust that businesses are not doing anything else with my information? What do you think is ad targeting a form privacy invasion? Sources: http://www.poynter.org/2016/people-dont-want-to-trade-privacy-for-targeted-ads/391520/ https://adexchanger.com/data-driven-thinking/targeted-online-advertisements-a-threat-to-personal-identity-and-security/ http://www.elezea.com/2013/04/the-problem-with-targeting/ |
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