Privacy advocates cry foul over ClearSight targeting tool
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US— ClearSight Interactive has launched an audience targeting suite for online display adverts, but the new service has already come in for criticism from some privacy advocates.
The ClearProfile tool allows users to deliver banner adverts to prospective customers based on offline demographic data that they provide.
Once a consumer has opted in to receive promotions from third parties, the tool matches their IP address with zip code or census-level data to create a profile, sidestepping the need for cookies.
CEO Tom Alison said: “We’ve invested a lot of R&D to find a privacy-compliant way to utilise for online advertising all the data advertisers and agencies use for TV, radio, direct mail, branding and market-share oriented advertising. We all know that birds of a feather flock together and that every advertising campaign should allocate some funds to heavy-up on heavy buyer areas. Personally, I like to fish where the fish are.”
However, the launch has not been welcomed by some privacy advocates, who say consumers will not understand what they are opting in to.
Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, told MediaPost that his organisation plans to ask the Federal Trade Commission to examine the ClearProfile model.
