Survey For MediaDailyNews Shows Web Users Know They're Being Watched
- by Kate Kaye , June 14, 2004
Consumers are more aware of who's tracking their site behavior than advertisers, publishers, and tech providers may realize, according to a survey conducted by BURST! Media for I>MediaDailyNews. In fact, 71 percent of survey participants said that companies other than Web sites and advertisers are involved in delivering ads.
Of all respondents, 73.3 percent said it is likely that sites harvest information on how they interact with Web sites. Awareness dips nearly 20 points, however, when it comes to third-party companies tracking, collecting, and storing data on users' Internet activity. Almost 56 percent of respondents responded that companies other than Web sites gather and store data, and 31.4 percent were unsure.
BURST! surveyed 6,059 users who visited its 2,000 network sites from May 17 to May 24. The study has a margin of error of +/- 1.2 percent. The survey delved deeper to examine user awareness regarding the types of information tracked by Web sites. Over 66 percent of participants believed it is likely that Web sites collect non-personally identifiable information such as geographic location, Internet connection speed, and previous sites visited. Users are less likely to think that sites track their age, gender, Web purchases, and other personally identifiable data. One-half of those who responded to the survey said it is likely that Web sites track such information, while 21.6 percent believed it is unlikely.
The proliferation of pop-up ads, particularly those ads delivered through adware and spyware providers, is a major factor contributing to user awareness of tracking technologies, says Parry Aftab, a cyberspace privacy and security lawyer who works on international policy development with governments and law enforcement. "Pop-ups are probably the single most annoying factor to consumers, and pop- ups are generally related to spyware and adware," Aftab suggests.
Aftab alludes to legislation in California that will soon be enacted, requiring that Web sites based in the Golden State--or sites that collect personally identifiable data on California residents--must have privacy policies. She also points to recent spyware-related legislation passed in Utah, as well as potential legislation in New York and on the federal level. "Something's going to happen on a federal level," forecasts Aftab, in regard to spyware and adware-related legislation. "Something's going to happen on an international level."
Third-party technology companies--whether they are adware firms that target ads to users who have downloaded their software in exchange for agreeing to accept ads, or firms that intervene between ad servers and site publishers to optimize ad targeting or media inventory value--often claim that users are comfortable with being tracked because they appreciate receiving more relevant ads as a result.
When survey participants were asked whether they would mind if their non-personally identifiable information were collected if it resulted in ads that are more relevant to their interests, more than half--or 56.9 percent--said they would mind. Over 23 percent responded that they would not mind if non-personally identifiable information were collected to optimize ad targeting. Nearly 20 percent were unsure.
Respondents were also questioned about the legality of selling data. Over 40 percent of participants believed it is legal for third parties to sell personal information such as ZIP code and email address; 78.9 percent of that group said there are some legal restrictions on data sharing. Thirty percent of respondents answered that such data sales are illegal, and 27.2 percent were unsure.
In actuality, Aftab explains, the legality of data collection and data use are based on the privacy policy that applies to each particular piece of information gathered, unless another law overrides the policy. "The moment you collect it is when the law touches it," she continues. Yet Aftab cautions that "the biggest risk isn't that you're going to go to jail or be sued. The biggest risk is you've lost a consumer, and you've lost trust. It's trust we're dealing with here, more than laws."
