DoubleClick, one of the largest Internet ad agencies, has come clean about their user tracking operation. They have admitted to tracking each and every user that visits any of DoubleClick’s sites OR a site that displays any ad banner through DoubleClick: this means thousands of sites have the capability to monitor your surfing preferences. The ‘outing’ of DoubleClick will hopefully bring the question of covert monitoring to the forefront of Internet legislation.
The potential of such monitoring capabilities has surely stimulated the interest of high profile lenders. Using information gathered, the lender will be able to assess your credit risk by scoring you in relation to the sites you visit. Visiting a number of high-class fashion web sites will produce a score higher than, say, visiting a number of football web sites.
You may also find that by visiting a string of web sites, and particularly if you purchase something on the way, you will receive an offer of a favourable loan. The loan would not be guaranteed, but such analysis will produce lower risk targets.
By tracking potential customers, the most accurate personal character profile is possible. Filing in a loan form cannot provide more than ‘skin deep’ analysis, and can be easily manipulated. As we perceive our time surfing the net as a personal experience we are inclined to find out more about something that interests us: thereby revealing more about us to covert snoopers.
Lenders have always preferred second-time borrowers, especially if the first lender was someone else. By tracking your purchasing habits (together with more traditional credit assessment measures) lenders will have the ability to ‘cherry pick’ the experienced borrower who also has a strong repayment profile.
‘Cherry picking’ safe borrowers will mean increased finance charges for everyone else. The most desirable customers will get low interest finance: to offset the lower charges, lower status customers will pay higher rates of interest to maintain the lenders profit.
How Cookies Work
DoubleClick send a cookie (a coded message) to your PC’s hard drive that it can activate the next time you visit any web site connected to them. Many web sites send out cookies when you visit them, however, they are mainly used to help speed up your entry to their web site and not for tracking. Contrary to some fears, cookies cannot read your hard drive.
To Opt Out (permanently remove yourself) From the Cookie Surveillance
You need to opt out separately for every browser you use. So, if you sometimes use Internet Explorer and at other times you use Netscape Navigator, you have to do this for both browsers on every computer you use. It doesn't matter if you have never visited the DoubleClick site. If you visit any site which uses DoubleClick for their banner advertising (which means a lot of sites) you can be affected. I had DoubleClick cookies on my hard drive for both Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator!
Make your own mind up about what DoubleClick are trying to achieve by using cookies in this fashion. You may agree with them in that you only want targeted marketing messages, or you might think that they restrict your choice and that they pursue a heavy handed subliminal marketing strategy based on psychometric testing.
DoubleClick say, "Why shouldn't you opt-out of this cookie? DoubleClick believes all users should have a positive Web experience. Because of this belief, we allow advertisers to control the frequency (the number of times) a Web user sees an ad banner. We also deliver advertising based on a user's interests if that user has chosen to receive targeted advertising. We believe that frequency control, and relevant content makes advertising on the Web less intrusive by ensuring that users are not bombarded with repeat and irrelevant ad messages. Opting-out removes our ability both to control frequency of exposure to individual users and to increase the level of relevant content."
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