Marketers adopts Behavioral Advertising: Online ads following you

Aug. 11, 2010 - PRLog -- John Thomson knew he was being followed, although he didn't even leave his house for a second. He hadn't even left from the seat in front of his laptop.

“I spent a whole day being stalked on the internet”, explained the 26-year old software engineer from California. I had been looking online for some best mobile utility apps, but they weren't interesting, so I jumped to another site. Suddenly all the ads on that site were for the mobile apps I'd just been looking  for. Then, I moved on different site, same ad.

“It was weird. Everywhere I went, adverts for mobile apps were following me.” he added. This online stalking is promoted by tiny files hidden inside Key's and Edwin's computers. These secretly identify their age, location, favorite movies, love of gadgets, the books they buy-sometimes even the words they type into websites. This data is packaged and sold to companies seeking customers.

Welcome to the shadowy world of “behavioral advertising”, where the tastes, dreams, desires and family size of unsuspecting internet users are for sale to advertisers and even governments.

And this online ads following doesn't even stop here, it goes on to the extent of advertising billboards bombarding adverts on you, as you pass by a shopping center. In 'Minority Report', Tom Cruise is bombarded by adverts that call out his name as he walks through shopping center.

In reality such billboards are some way off, but online technology is already available here and is causing increasing disquiet among both users and privacy campaigners. At its heart the technology relies on innocuous-sounding programs or software called cookies and beacons. They are either dumped onto your computer or identify it when you log on to a website. This allows all your movements on the internet to be tracked.

This is another intrusive way of your personal information could be used. Even more alarming is the prospect of users being quoted different prices depending on the website thinks they are.

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Mobile apps hub is an online repository of free mobile stuff. One can download free mobile apps, games, wallpapers, themes and ringtones. Also many games are available online too.