Increasing company knowledge

Description:

Companies has more knowledge about the Internet users, by doing that, they can have more 'targetable' advertisements, therefore save advertising budget and increase efficiency.

The customize of future advertisements is one trend, people will receive advertisements on subjects they are recently interesting in. It can be a win-win result, but it can also invade users' privacy.

Enablers:

ㅇ Availability of personal information online. People are using Internet in their daily life, they talk about their habits, their appetite in Email and on MSN with their friends, they browse through Internet which actions might be record by spywares. Companies and organization publishes information about their employees, public alumni website pubilish user's contact methods, etc.

ㅇ Technology development. New spywares can sneak into your system, penetrate your firewall and antivirus software. New techology can locate you with your cell phone.

ㅇ Now laws do allow IT company to collect personal information.

Inhibitors:

ㅇ In future, Laws on Internet advertising may regulate the useage of user information by the company. Some countries Internet service provider may not sell theri user information to other companies according to law.

ㅇ Growing consumer resistance to ads.

Paradigms:

Google only give you product information with key words appears in your Gmail system, And currently Google is collecting as much person information as possible.
Microsoft provide product information in their MSN messagers according to your geographic divisions. Microsoft has been involved in privacy troubles in many countries for a long time, and they are already very experienced dealing with that.
NBA.com profile their boardband VOD user's ordering record.
Answers.com offers you relevant books advertisements on the topic you search.

Experts:

Internet service providers, Legal experts

Timing:

Since 'cookie' technology appeared, companies began to collect user information under the table.

Web Resources:

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/about.html http://www.answers.com