• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, February 22, 2012

Asked about what level of micro-targeting online—even linking profiles to voting records—is acceptable Joseph Turow of the Annenberg School of Communication at U Penn, suggested target-marketing can’t be stopped but that people should have better notice and control over what messages they’re served.

The FTC’s Christopher Olsen responded that transparency is important but not sufficient. He argued that lengthy privacy policies have proven ineffective, making it necessary for companies to take other steps, like giving consumers access to their profiles so they can see what behavioral buckets they fall into. Then they have the option of opting out of being targeted or modifying their interests. Companies can also reconsider their data retention limits.