Offline Data Fair Game For Microsoft
Earlier this month Microsoft announced a project that will utilize method of collecting data on users’ “cell phones, geolocation systems, credit-card information” and various other sources to create highly targeted advertising, reports MarketWatch.
This data is the prize pig of the online advertising industry that gives any company with access to it, an edge over the competition. This is the justification for the billions of dollars tossed at ad serving companies across the Web, because the more relevant the ad, the better the lead and higher the payout to these colossal companies.
This application that Microsoft will be serving up however, has a patent on the targeting technology. Microsoft’s director of privacy strategy Brendon Lynch said that the patent on the applications does not mean plans for a product. Lynch stated that it “will first be reviewed against our privacy standards to ensure that privacy is protected.”
The European Parliament however, held a public seminar on Monday to discuss privacy implications of technology used by Microsoft and its major competitors.
The European Commission is still reviewing the Google acquisition of DoubleClick for the very same concerns.
According to the application “If the offline behavior indicates the user was watching a college football game … if the user goes online during or just after such activity, then an inference could be made that the user is interested in seeing more information about the game as well as being receptive to advertisements selling college-team memorabilia.”
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