Behavioral Targeter Valueclick Acquires Mobile Ad Network--When Will FTC Protect Mobile Privacy?

It's been two years since CDD and USPIRG filed a complaint at the FTC on mobile marketing and privacy.  While its establishment of a mobile forensics lab to investigate mobile data and privacy issues was a good step, more must be done.  Google, Apple and others involved in mobile data collection for targeted marketing must create meaningful privacy and consumer protection rules.  Otherwise, the merging of behavioral and mobile and location data for targeting, which we described in the '09 complaint, continues without safeguards and rules. 

Valueclick, a digital marketing/lead-geneation company, has just acquired mobile ad network Greystripe.  Such a deal will accelerate the role behavioral targeting and other forms of interactive marketing data collection plays in the mobile marketplace.  Valueclick tells advertisers that:
 

No other audience targeting provider has access to as much consumer online behavioral data that cannot be purchased anywhere else. 

We see visitors as they browse sites and interact with ads across the ValueClick Media network, as they search for products across our comparison shopping properties and as they make billions of dollars in e-commerce transactions within our affiliate marketing network. Across ValueClick, Inc., approximately 58 billion consumer online transactions per month contribute to our deeper understanding of consumer online behavior.

• Over 750 million consumer profiles, with tens of millions added and expunged daily
• Access to 2.5 million proprietary and third-party behavioral attributes
• 12,000 contextual attributes across 23 categories...
• Dynamic messaging with ActiveAds® tailors each ad to the individual visitor
• Increase response rates with relevant, personalized messaging
• Ad units are generated based upon geo location and/or promotion

Greystripe, which works with fast food, alcoholic beverage, automobile and other marketers, says its "proprietary advertising platform currently serves ads into more than 2,500 application titles and mobile websites, supporting over 1,400 handset models globally."  They are engaged in a wide range of mobile and location targeting campaigns.

We know the FTC is engaged in a thoughtful analysis and review of the market and issues.  But it's dropped the ball on mobile privacy so far.  Expect CDD and allies to heat it up soon!