Re: Issue-39: Tracking of Geographic Data

If an ad network (or some other third-party) uses precise geolocation to 
show me an ad (or some other geo-contextual content), but then 
/immediately deletes/ that information (or retains for some excepted 
purpose like ad reporting but not profiling), that seems to me to be 
more akin to contextual advertising than "tracking."  I think I agree 
with Shane that the granularity of the location is not relevant to 
whether the collection and use of location data is across sites or time.

On the other hand, the precision of the data will determine whether it 
can be kept pursuant to one of the exceptions if any of those exceptions 
require anonymization/de-identification (since precise geolocation data 
collected over time is inherently identifying).  If at the end of this 
process the exceptions don't require anonymization, that would be an 
argument against the use of precise geolocation by a third-party in 
response to a DNT header, as the exceptions would allow for the 
retention of highly personal data.

Justin Brookman
Director, Consumer Privacy Project
Center for Democracy&  Technology
1634 I Street NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20006
tel 202.407.8812
fax 202.637.0969
justin@cdt.org
http://www.cdt.org
@CenDemTech
@JustinBrookman


On 12/20/2011 2:29 PM, Jeffrey Chester wrote:
> Geo-location is part of the third party tracking process and should be 
> addressed by DNT header.  That can still mean use of IP address but no 
> other geo-targeting data analysis.
>
>
> Jeffrey Chester
> Center for Digital Democracy
> 1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 550
> Washington, DC 20009
> www.democraticmedia.org <http://www.democraticmedia.org>
> www.digitalads.org <http://www.digitalads.org>
> 202-986-2220
>
> On Dec 20, 2011, at 2:07 PM, David Singer wrote:
>
>>
>> On Dec 20, 2011, at 9:56 , Kevin Smith wrote:
>>
>>> I know we have talked about it a few times, but perhaps not in the 
>>> context of geo, but I still favor the position that an ad server (or 
>>> other 3^rd party service) can use information collected in the 
>>> current session to target you.
>>> For instance, if I am visiting New York, I do not have a problem if 
>>> I see Broadway ads while I am there.  I don’t mind contextual ads.  
>>> If I am reading up on my favorite basketball team, I expect to see 
>>> sports related ads.  Nor do I mind time-related ads.  I do not mind 
>>> prioritization of office supplies over movie trailers at 2:00 in the 
>>> afternoon because an ad server does not need to know anything about 
>>> me to make this decision.
>>
>> Yes, these all use data *from the current transaction*, not anything 
>> from the past.  I think we've discussed this and think it's OK. 
>>  You're being treated as a fresh, new, visitor, and nothing is being 
>> remembered.
>>
>>> What may bother me is if I see Broadway ads once I have returned to 
>>> Utah (meaning they are remembering all of my locations – assuming I 
>>> have not in some other direct way indicated a preference for the 
>>> theater), or if I see sports ads while booking a flight, or if the 
>>> decision to show me office supplies vs movie trailers was based on 
>>> watching my many locations and thereby determining if I am home or 
>>> at work.
>>
>> or if you visited a theater site while in New York and went to a 
>> risqué cabaret, and when you get home and go looking for a show to 
>> take the family to, you get shown a lot of ads for risqué cabarets.
>>
>>
>> David Singer
>> Multimedia and Software Standards, Apple Inc.
>>
>