Online Behavioral Ads Fuel the Surveillance Industry—Here’s How

The article discusses how online behavioral ads fuel the surveillance industry through a process called Real-Time Bidding (RTB). RTB is a system that allows thousands of advertisers to bid on ad space on websites and apps in real-time, often using personal data such as location information, IP addresses, device details, interests, and demographic information. This process exposes individuals’ personal data to numerous companies, including data brokers who sell this information to third parties.

The article highlights several examples of how RTB has been used for nefarious purposes, including:

• A global spy tool that exposed the locations of billions of people

• A Catholic group buying location data about gay dating app users to out gay priests

• A location data broker selling lists of people who attended political protests

The article also notes that RTB is regularly exploited by government agencies for surveillance purposes and creates national security risks.

To protect oneself from online behavioral ads, the article recommends:

• Disabling mobile advertising IDs and auditing app permissions on apps

• Installing Privacy Badger, a browser extension that blocks online trackers

However, the article concludes that these measures are insufficient and that the real solution is to ban online behavioral advertising altogether. This would prevent companies from collecting and sharing personal data through RTB auctions and reduce the power of the surveillance industry.

Overall, the article highlights the significant privacy risks associated with online behavioral ads and advocates for a shift towards contextual advertising that does not rely on personal data collection.