A recent phone-based survey of 1,000 Internet users found that 66 percent did not want web sites to show ads to them that are tailored to their interests. In fact, 73 percent said that they thought the practice of customizing ads based on their previous online behavior was “not OK.”
In addition, 92 percent of all respondents felt there should be laws requiring “websites and advertising companies to delete all stored information about an individual, if requested to do so.”
Joseph Turow said that the report was not tailored to debate economics, but rather to highlight consumer attitudes towards advertising, when asked why the study did not ask users questions like “would you rather pay for content or have it supported by tailored ads.”
Turow went on to say that the premise of his study was dispute that “the industry is claiming that U.S. users want targeted ads.” Turow denied he was in favor of further legislation, but rather wants to spark a debate on the issue.