Privacy protection against ubiquitous marketing

Privacy has been recognized as an important topic in the marketing for long time. Our society is growing and adopting a more ubiquitous information-filled world with previously isolated systems evolving and being adapted to operate in completely interconnected networks. This full access to real-time public and personal data is a logical evolutionary step forward. However, the security of the individual´s confidential information and our right to privacy is at stake. Many questions need to be addressed regarding the scope and volume of personal information. Seemingly, there is a tradeoff between exploiting the tremendous benefits of having shared information available to enhance the people´s life and giving away one´s personal privacy either directly or indirectly. The most common use of user data is in marketing, for which profiles, as collected in traditional eCommerce, are supported by data-mining the explicit self-descriptions, the behavior, and the ratings of users. For example, from credit card companies that rate based upon where you shop, to pay-per-click advertisements based upon Google searches, behavioral targeting has become an ubiquitous, if effective marketing tool. This issue has become a hot button topic for many publishers, advertisers, and privacy protection groups. Critics are concerned whether or not behavioral tracking agencies are effectively disclosing how the targeting works, and whether or not they are offering consumers the ability to escape their radar by opting out of tracking. Despite numerous discussions on the regulation of behavioral marketing, no solution has been found that satisfies all parties. It can be said that privacy is a problem in ubiquitous marketing using consumer´s situation awareness today. However, it is possible to overcome the privacy problem if careful consideration is done to the consumer. So, we should know that when does the consumer feel insecurity? How does the consumer think about the privacy problem? This - - paper examines the consumer´s consideration to ubiquitous marketing.