Is Your Online Privacy Threatened by Programmatic Ads?

I grew up without Internet. In fact, we didn't even own a computer when I was young. (Keep in mind, I am a Millennial.)

Trying to do homework without Internet was quite the task. If a homework assignment required research on a certain animal or period in history, we would use our huge encyclopedia set in the basement. Unless it was a word starting with the letter "N" or "St-Su". We were missing those volumes.

And if it was an assignment where the two paragraphs from the encyclopedia just wouldn't cut it, we trekked off to the library to spend an hour online doing our homework. It was frustrating.

Finally, in late elementary school, we used our tax refund to buy a computer, and eventually got dial-up. It was revolutionary.

As I grew up, I became aware of things like AIM, online forums, and social media. My world expanded!

 But my parents were terrified of these sites. All they knew were the horror stories of children being abducted because of interactions with creepers online or the pop-ups that would give your computer a virus.

We finally got "real" Internet five years ago, when I was a junior in high school. But after all that time, and the things I'd learned from my parents, I was still cautious, perhaps even scared, about being online. I still am cautious. I triple check things before I post. I try to find a balance between sharing enough so a future employer can contact me and holding back enough so a stalker can't attack me.

So of all people, I should be the one who shies away from the ads, including programmatic ones, that seem to infiltrate our lives and know what websites or products we were just looking at online.

But I don't.

I wholeheartedly believe in personal freedoms. I believe in privacy, of one's home and one's interactions online. I am often one who craves simplicity and being away from technology so I can escape the commercialism.

And yet, I love advertising. I hate being sold to, and I hate being told what I should want, need, and value in my life. But I love interactions with brands, being shown deals and coupons relevant to what I am seeking, or being entertained or informed by an advertisement. I believe ads are a necessity in our world, and I applaud the companies that are financially successful and/or produce effective advertising.

So how do I balance this, and what does this have to do with programmatic advertising?

Recently, people have become aware of their privacy (or lack thereof) online. This is good! Everyone should be educated about how to be safe and smart online. Programmatic ads utilize cookies and data of users, and with this renewed desire for security, there have been mentions and rumblings about whether or not programmatic buying will cross any privacy lines (especially in the UK with their data privacy legislation—see more here). Some have even posited that this is ethically wrong! However, privacy issues and data collection are not exclusive to programmatic buying, and sometimes the blurring of this line can be a positive thing for advertisers and consumers.

While there is still much for me to discover about the programmatic buying method, the reasons why I am so attracted to programmatic buying is because
1. It is efficient (unlike our encyclopedia set!)
and 2. It meets the needs of consumers and advertisers.

Advertisers Gain Meaningful Impressions and Consumers Gain Meaningful Information
Advertisers are able to cater their ads to people who may actually care about their product if data about these consumers is utilized. Money is not wasted on impressions or leads that will go nowhere. Consumers benefit because they are served with ads they actually care about. I recently got married, and was on what felt like an endless hunt for the perfect vests for my groom and the groomsmen. After multiple fruitless Google searches (in which I was obviously being "watched"), I was served with multiple small ads on Facebook for black, male vests. I saw the ads, clicked on them, and while I did not purchase the specific one in the ad, I did end up buying our vests from Macy's (and they looked awesome!). Win-win!

Consumers are Never Actually Identified
An advertiser or algorithm may see the different sites I visit in a day, but they never actually see me. Any identifying information is stripped from its data in advertising technology (though apparently identification does happen in rare cases in which consumer opt-in has been obtained). There are several organizations used for self-regulation by digital advertising agencies to avoid unethical collection of data, and there are always programs and technologies that allow consumers to opt-out of digital tracking.

The Internet and Its Content Remains Free 
Advertisers are paying for sites to remain open, for publishers and writers to have salaries, and for consumers to access content for free. If I am able to access what I want online and only be bothered by a few sidebar ads, I consider that a relatively low cost in exchange for the the content provided.

We should definitely be smart consumers and contributors online and be aware of the risks and issues involved with privacy and data collection. However, I personally am excited to see the benefits brought to the table by smarter, more targeted, relevant, and efficient online advertising. Even as an overly cautious Internet user. But what do you think? Are you concerned about privacy issues with online advertising?

If you're interested in learning more about this issue and the multiple viewpoints presented, provided below are links to further reading:
Is Programmatic Buying Problematic Buying?
Targeted Online Advertisements: A Threat To Personal Identity And Security?How Will "Do Not Track" Affect the Programmatic Landscape?