Essay On Targeted Advertising

Targeted Advertising: Helpful or Hurtful? Technology has challenged the rules of privacy, and people are questioning if privacy is a necessity anymore. Technology, specifically apple products such as iPhones, is a need in many people’s lives, and they cannot imagine not being able to check their phones for the weather or to ask Siri to find the closest restaurant. Unfortunately, people do not realize companies use technology for targeted advertising, which is an invasion of privacy. An invasion of privacy is when people’s private information is used to influence them and is given to other people or companies unknowingly. Targeted advertising is further explained in the article “Behavioral Ads Offer a Windfall for Marketers, Publishers” that targeted ads “involve tracking consumers’ web surfing and shopping habits so marketers can

Technology has become a major factor in many people’s lives. Most people have a phone, laptop, or computer, but they do not realize their technology could be invading their privacy. Targeted ads are developed by “tracking” what people type in their search engines so the ads can endorse an item of interest to an individual (Burkitt). Unfortunately, many people do not feel comfortable having their browser histories saved for companies to create ads. After the company saves people’s browser histories, the corporations bombard people with customized ads, which is sometimes aggravating. The companies also sell people’s private information to make a profit, which is making people’s private life into a “product.” Although customized advertisements are useful for buyers and positive for corporations, targeted ads invade people’s privacy because tech companies manipulatively use people’s browser histories to endorse products, and secretly sell people’s personal information for revenue, turning individuals into