Why Political Online Marketing for Elections & Campaigns Require Regulatory Safeguards

For the last several years, we have closely followed the growth of digital marketing used by campaigns and special interest groups.  It was always evident to us that we would conduct our elections and shape political influence through digital marketing.   But this new medium, able to capture our thoughts, interests and desires in an instant; which can follow and track us whereever we go and do online; that can sell the right to target us with an interactive ad to the highest bidder in milliseconds; and has gathered and analyzed data about our finances, health, kids, race/ethnicty, etc.,  required privacy safeguards.
 
The juxtaposition of all this sensitive information, including our location (via mobile devices) and what we say to our friends (via social networks), enables the creation of a very powerful personal profile of a voter.  What are campaigns, from both parties and across interest groups, doing with all the data available for behavioral and semantic targeting today?  What is in our political profiles, and how are we being judged.  Is the use of race and income status a factor in how we receive political ads and messages.  What are the campaigns saying to my neighbor but not saying to me?   How is social media data being used, including whether I am feeling stressed, looking for a new job, or concerned about a cause?  There are many more questions that must be asked.
 
The time to regulate the use of digital media by political campaigns is now.  Foremost is to ensure the privacy rights of citizens, and not allow campaigns to place data-gathering cookies on browsers, buy access to target users on ad exchanges, or integrate "intent" data without prior informed consent.  Other safeguards are also required, as we will discuss during the next few months.
 
Both parties are engaged in a digital data arms race, although it appears President Obama's campaign has some what greater ease in assembling what it takes today.  In Politico, I was quoted criticizing the President's campaign, but it was in the context of blaming all sides.  I also said that privacy was a bipartisan issue,  and the campaigns have to also practice what many of their leaders preach.  There needs to be a Privacy Bill of Rights for both consumers and voters.