One of the great things about broadcasting is its ability to attract audiences that share traits – if you can figure out what common likes and dislikes are likely to be found in the audience for a TV courtroom program or a certain radio format, you’ve gone a long way toward figuring out what kinds of advertisements will work.
The interactivity of the internet can take targeting down to the individual level. But many in Washington are concerned about the price in terms of lost individual privacy. The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Hearing is holding a hearing called “Behavioral Advertising: Industry Practices and Consumers’ Expectations” to look into the matter.
The hearing is scheduled today at 10AM.
Witnesses include:
* Jeffrey Chester, Executive Director, Center for Digital Democracy
* Scott Cleland, President, Precursor LLC
* Charles D. Curran, Executive Director, Network Advertising Initiative
* Christopher M. Kelly, Chief Privacy Officer, Facebook
* Edward W. Felten, Professor of Computer Science and Public Affairs, Princeton University
* Anne Toth, Vice President of Policy, Head of Privacy, Yahoo! Inc.
* Nicole Wong, Deputy General Counsel, Google Inc.
