Microsoft Expanding Digital Marketing Research in China: Role of US Companies Engaged in Datamining requires debate/safeguards

Digital ad technologies are a powerful form of surveillance.  When they are deployed in undemocratic and repressive regimes, especially by U.S. companies, there are serious ethical and civil liberties concerns.  Microsoft has long operated an ad lab and other research in Beijing.  Now it just announced it has expanding its work in China, including for online marketing and data collection.  Here's what Campaign Asia reports.  Btw, we hope the groups supposely keeping a close look at US online companies operating in China will examine this development, as well as what Google and US ad giants are doing in China:
 
"[Microsoft] announced on November 18 that it planned to establish the Microsoft Advanced Technology Centre for Internet in Beijing. The new institute will study four major sectors: online advertising technology, mobile internet services, and technology for Microsoft's MSN platform.
Perhaps most importantly, it will also work on establishing Microsoft's Bing search engine more popular in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
The centre will incorporate the former Search Technology Centre Asia (also in Beijing) and is expected employ hundreds of technicians and developers in both Beijing and Tokyo.
Harry Shum, Microsoft global senior vice president, said “the establishment of the center demonstrates that Microsoft pays great attention to global internet industry and Chinese market”.