On the Viability of Contextual Advertising as a Privacy-Preserving Alternative to Behavioral Advertising on the Web

40 Pages Posted: 15 Dec 2021

See all articles by Alexander Bleier

Alexander Bleier

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Date Written: December 7, 2021

Abstract

Increasing privacy concerns regarding online behavioral advertising have sparked a renewed interest in online contextual advertising. However, while giving up on behavioral advertising may cede economic gains, adopting novel methods of contextual advertising may not cure consumer privacy. In fact, as such methods often extend far beyond the traditional matching of ads to keywords on a web page, they allow ads to become increasingly targeted to consumer information which may also violate consumer privacy and trigger privacy concerns. Firms and regulators should thus be careful not to inflict economic costs while failing to protect consumer privacy.

Keywords: Privacy, contextual advertising, behavioral advertising, contextual integrity

Suggested Citation

Bleier, Alexander, On the Viability of Contextual Advertising as a Privacy-Preserving Alternative to Behavioral Advertising on the Web (December 7, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3980001 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3980001

Alexander Bleier (Contact Author)

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management ( email )

Adickesallee 32-34
Frankfurt am Main, 60322
Germany

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