In comparison, personalized advertising -- also called targeted and behavioral ads -- doesn't seem nearly so dangerous. It is easy to believe that the worst that can happen is we'll buy a few unnecessary things, lose some privacy, or find some content off-limits (as in the case of new London billboard that uses facial recognition technology to send male and female viewers different information). A more sober look suggests we should be worried about participating in a social experiment that gambles with our human agency and freedom.

Our guard is lowered in part due to the weight of history. Advertising goes back to ancient Egyptian use of papyrus, and it arguably exists in nature, e.g., peacocks flash their wings to attract mates. Further assurance comes from the fact that regulators and consumer rights advocates are working tirelessly to safeguard privacy and secure viable opportunities for us to opt out of undesired marketing.

Unfortunately, there's more at stake than meets the eye. New data-mining techniques and technologies have an unprecedented ability to match products to our particular preferences, interests, moods, activities, and locations. With enhanced knowledge of what makes us tick comes enhanced capacity to modify our behavior by whittling away at our resolve. As the U.S. controversy over Target inadvertently alerting a father to the fact that his teenage daughter is pregnant (by sending her coupons for maternity clothes and related items) demonstrates, it isn't only our present selves that are up for grabs, but our future ones, too.



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