Blogs

The key to understanding Google's privacy and data practices is to look at its online marketing initiatives.  Users can't be assured their privacy will be protected in a system designed to peel-off so much of their information to be used for profile-based targeting.  One Google effort that requires greater scrutiny is its "Zero Moment of Truth" effort, e-book, website, video and all.  It's about using search and all the Google tools to influence a consumer precis

The use of "Big Data" marketing tactics to track and target voters raises concerns about the surveillance and manipulation of voters.  Compiling huge, private, and unaccountable political databases that tap into our Facebook, mobile phone and web data to better influence voters should not be tolerated.    A voter should decide what can be collected and used about them--not the parties or special interest group.  As this new Guardian article underscores, both parties must make public how they collect and use information for digital campaigning.  In the

We have long said that the biggest advertisers using Facebook get a special deal when it comes to using its targeting platform.  This week's Ad Age gives insight into this.  In its story on Facebook, marketers and data, it explains that:  "Facebook typically gives top advertisers early access to products. That special attention extends to interest-level data for marketers spending at least seven figures, according to someone familiar with the deals.

We support the aims of the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism and others who want to help ensure the survival of serious news reporting in the U.S., especially in newspapers.  But the center's new study fails to address the key questions--and policy issues--connected to digital advertising and newspaper sites.  Ironically, if they had asked their outside expert Prof.

We will present this Wed. at the WHO's Global Alcohol Policy conference.  Our presentation is:  The Digital Marketing of Alcoholic Beverages to Youth:  How Social Media, Mobile Devices, Personalized Data Collection and Neuromarketing have transformed the global advertising landscape.
Here's the abstract. 

Google's real motivation for its privacy policy changes is to gather and make actionable more profile data for targeting and digital marketing.  Yet it failed to tell consumers this in its announcement of the pending changes.  This failure to be candid with users is, in our view, a violation of the consent degree in the Google Buzz case.  Google should be required to explain it wants to add to its data profiling/targeting capabilities for ad and marketing sales, esp.

The recent flare-up/digital privacy food fight between Microsoft and Google (including full-page print ads from Microsoft) shouldn't distract from a key point:  digital marketers like Google and Microsoft are basically doing the same things--despite whatever "spin" they place on it.  Digital advertising is a global business whose business model for online data collection and profile-based targeting across all platforms are being engineered by Google, Microsoft and a few other leaders.  Facebook's expansion of viral and peer to peer marketing has also shaped online d

Facebook makes nearly all its money from advertising, including ad related revenues from the sales of virtual gaming products.  It's no real economic miracle, as its fate depends ultimately on major global advertisers winning success from their Facebook-focused campaigns.   Facebook's use of its member and friends data for an array of basically viral and peer-to-peer marketing strategies will ultimately create a strong backlash as regulators, privacy advocates and others peel back its facade.  Facebook believes it has perfected social media marketing to create a seamless