More electronic snooping
Manfred Mareck
Using personal data is a growing trend, especially when it comes to online advertising. It enables advertisers to target ads more precisely, reduces wastage and, in theory, ensures delivery of relevant messages to individual consumers – so everybody benefits. But strangely those who collect this increasing amount of personal data are often reluctant to inform those whose online usage and behaviour they monitor.
Social network site Facebook was widely criticised when it introduced Beacon, a system that tracked users' habits on and off its site in order to serve ads tailored to specific interests. In...