The following report is an examination of consumer tracking and profiling in the United States. The paper presents perspectives on the current discussion surrounding regulation of consumer tracking. It begins with an explanation of the evolution of tracking technologies and tracking prevention tools. This is followed by a discussion of the outcomes of self-regulatory initiatives, as well as existing regulatory efforts from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and standardization initiatives from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This background information is used to examine “specialty consumer reporting agency” Web sites, information brokers that exist solely to create profiles about individuals and sell these profiles online. This research presents a content analysis of privacy policies for 29 of these Web sites. Specifically, the content analysis focuses on the legal language they use in their presentation of Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) disclaimers, the listed sources of their information, and their instructions for users to correct or remove their information. The conclusion from the findings is that many of these Web sites are engaging in deceptive practices as defined by the FTC. As a solution, the FTC could enforce FCRA requirements on these Web sites by requiring that consumers be able to access this information, dispute inaccurate information, understand how their information is gathered and used, and opt out of having a profile completely. The FTC also can create a centralized Web site where specialty consumer reporting agencies identify themselves to consumers, describe how they collect and use consumer data, and detail the access rights and other choices they provide with respect to the consumer data they maintain. Finally, the paper concludes with a summary of online privacy initiatives in the European Union, and an explanation of the requirements of United States compliance with these policies when taking part in the European marketplace. / text

In the United States, notice and choice remain the most commonly used mechanisms to protect people’s privacy online. This approach relies on the assumption that users provided with notice will make informed choices that align with their privacy expectations. The goal of this research is to empirically inform industry and regulatory efforts that rely on notice and choice to protect people’s online privacy. To do so, we present a set of case studies covering different aspects of privacy notice and choice in four domains: online behavioral advertising (OBA), online social networks (OSN), financial privacy notices, and websites’ machine-readable privacy notices. We investigate users’ privacy preferences, information needs, and ability to exercise choices in the OBAdomain. Based on our results, we provide recommendations to improve the design of notice and choice methods currently in use in this domain. In the context of OSNs, we explore the effect of nudging notices designed to encourage more thoughtful disclosures among Facebook users and recommend changes to the Facebook user interface aimed to mitigate problematic disclosures. We demonstrate how standardized notices enable large-scale evaluations and comparisons of companies’ privacy practices and argue that standardized privacy notices have an enormous potential to improve transparency and benefit users, privacy-respectful companies, and oversight entities. We argue that, in today’s complex Internet ecosystem, an approach that relies on users to make privacy decisions should also empower them with user-friendly interfaces, relevant information, and the tools they need to make privacy decisions. Finally, we further argue that notice and choice are necessary, but not sufficient to protect online privacy, and that government regulation is necessary to establish necessary additional protections including access, redress, accountability, and enforcement.

This study discusses Online Behavioral Advertising (OBA), which fundamentally consists of collected data about a person’s online behavior. The phenomena are made possible via the use of cookies on webpages and social media, which the user needs to accept to access the platform. The saved information is then used by firms to present targeted advertising, so called Online Behavioral Advertising. The feeling of being watched over/controlled on the internet might seem intrusive, which studies show may have a negative effect on consumers purchase intentions. How the effect varies between different personalities has not been studied before. Previous studies have focused on studying correlation between personalities and purchase intention and correlation between OBA and purchase intention. Little light has been shed on the effects of OBA for different personalities, to complete previous studies this study aims to find out more by using an acknowledged personality model named Big Five. This study uses a quantitative research approach, a web survey has been constructed to collect data and enable the composed hypotheses to be tested. The collected data is being analyzed in SPSS into descriptive statistics and Spearman rank correlation between the personality dimensions of the Big Five and the effect of OBA on purchase intention. The results show that previous theories about the effect of OBA on purchase intention can be verified. The descriptive statistics also show a significant higher effect of OBA on men than women. Furthermore, Spearman rank correlation shows that the effect varies between the personality dimensions of Big Five. A positive correlation was found between the dimensions Openness and Extraversion and OBA's effect, which means that persons scoring higher in these dimensions also has a higher effect of OBA on purchase intention. A negative correlation was found between the dimension Conscientiousness and OBA's effect, which means that persons scoring higher in this dimension is not significantly affected by OBA.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur regleringar av insamling av kunddata påverkar B2C-företagens digitala marknadsföring, vilka konsekvenser som uppstår, samt hur denna förändring hanterats.  Metod: Studien är baserad på en kvalitativ metod. För insamling av empiriskt material har semistrukturerade intervjuer utförts där en intervjuguide skapades som är baserat på den teoretiska referensramen. Med en tematisk analys fick vi fram tre olika teman.  Resultat och slutsats: Studien visar att B2C-företag initialt påverkades negativt med mindre lönsamhet. Studien visar också hur företagen lyckats hantera förändringarna genom att exempelvis jobba med fler sociala plattformar och anpassa marknadsföringen utefter plattformens förutsättningar. Examensarbetets bidrag: Studiens teoretiska bidrag är ett resultat som kan överföras till B2C-företag både i Sverige och utanför. Det praktiska bidraget är hur verksamheter kan anpassa sina strategier och vilken typ av åtgärder som kan implementeras för att lösa problem av liknande natur.  Förslag till vidare forskning: På grund av att denna studie inriktar sig på B2C-företag rekommenderar vi forskning kring B2B-företagför att tillgodogöra mer kunskap om ämnet. / Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate how data regulations affect B2C companies’ digital marketing, the consequences, and how this change was handled. Method: The study is based on a qualitative method. The gathering of empirical material was conducted with semi-structured interviews with the assistance of an interview guide based on the theoretical framework. With a thematic analysis we identified three different themes. Result and Conclusions: The study shows that B2C companies were initially negatively impacted with less profitability. The study also shows how companies managed to handle the changes by working with more social media platforms and adapt the marketing according to the platform’s conditions.  Contribution of the thesis: The study’s theoretical contributions are a result that can be transferred to B2C companies both in Sweden and abroad. The practical contribution is how companies can adapt their strategies. Suggestions for future research: Since this study focuses on B2C companies, we suggest more research on the effects for B2B companies to assimilate more knowledge

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During recent years, the global digital transformation has led to changes in the advertising industry, where advertisers use new strategies to reach customers to advertise their products and services. Online behavioral advertising emerged as a new advertising process, which allowed companies to collect and use online behavior to create tailored personalized advertisements. Online behavioral advertising has led to privacy concerns. The purpose of this study is to examine the viewpoint on online behavioral advertising for students in Sweden. By reviewing previous literature on the subject of online behavioral advertising this study constructed statements that examined the attitude of students in Sweden on privacy concerns, privacy violations, advertising avoidance as well as advertising acceptance. This study examined this by sending out an online questionnaire to a sample of students attending LTU (Luleå University of Technology). By analyzing the empirical findings this study found that students are somewhat indifferent about statements on online behavioral advertising. They are somewhat concerned about their privacy but not as intensely as previous research would suggest. Students at LTU are also indifferent about avoiding these types of advertisements. Concerning advertising acceptance, students at LTU are somewhat indifferent and tilted towards disagreement regardless of how the argument is framed for allowing behavioral tracking.

Utvecklingen av tekniken sker i snabb takt vilket gör att människors vetskap om OBA inte alltid hänger med, inte heller lagar och regler som ska skydda deras integritet. Därför är det intressant att undersöka hur effektiv marknadsföringstypen OBA är beroende av konsumenternas medvetenhet om fenomenet. Syftet är att analysera hur hög, respektive låg medvetenhet hos konsumenter om online behavioral advertising påverkar deras köpintentioner, med fokus på Generation Ys uppfattningar. Denna studie visar på samband mellan lägre medvetenhet om OBA och högre köpintentioner. Lägre medvetenhet om denna typ av marknadsföring förknippas även med en högre oro kring integriteten. / The development of technology takes place at a rapid pace, which means that people's knowledge of OBA does not always keep up, nor laws and regulations that supposed to protect their privacy. Therefore, it is interesting to investigate how effective online behavioral advertising is as a marketing strategy, based on consumers’ awareness of the phenomenon. The purpose is to analyze how a high and a low level of consumers’ awareness about OBA affects their purchase intentions, focusing on Generation Y’s perceptions.This paper reveals a connection between lower awareness of OBA and higher purchase intentions. Even a higher concern about integrity in the context is associated with lower awareness about this type of marketing.

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Le présent mémoire traite de la publicité comportementale en ligne (ci-après « PCL ») suite à la récente et importante vague de resserrements législatifs, des décisions judiciaires et enquêtes du CPVP, ainsi qu’aux récentes modifications technologiques impactant les pratiques de PCL. À la manière d’un guide, il y est recensé, décrit et analysées les obligations des entreprises participants à la PCL sous l’angle du droit à la vie privée et à la protection des renseignements personnels. Les enjeux et les principales zones d’ombre problématiques y sont identifiés et analysés, tel le critère de nécessité, l’exigence d’anonymisation et l’obligation de consentement, en incluant les enseignements des récentes décisions et enquêtes du CPVP. Une comparaison avec le cadre règlementaire de l’Union européenne est proposée sur certains points jugés plus pertinents. Le présent mémoire inclut une réflexion non seulement sur les obligations clés et leur évolution récente et rapide au Québec et au Canada dans un contexte de resserrement à l’international, mais également sur la PCL en soi en émettant des questionnements et des pistes de réflexion pour l’amélioration des pratiques. Ainsi, ce mémoire contient un volet pratique prononcé et un volet théorique qui se nourrissent l’un de l’autre. La partie I est un état des lieux où sont mises en lumière la complexité factuelle et juridique entourant la PCL, incluant une observation et une réflexion sur les interactions entre les différents acteurs (organisations, organismes d’autoréglementation, autorités de contrôle) et leur rôle dans la création et l’évolution des normes formelles et informelles. La partie II est consacrée à l’analyse des principales obligations incombant aux entreprises du secteur privé participant à la PCL en vertu de la LPRPDE et du Projet de loi C-27 au fédéral ainsi que des récentes modifications apportées par la Loi 25 au Québec en matière de protection des renseignements personnels. Finalement, la partie III propose une analyse de l’exercice de contrôle de l’utilisateur et des limites du consentement. / This master’s thesis is about online behavioral advertising (hereafter “OBA”). Like a guide, it lists, describes and analyzes the obligations of companies participating in the OBA from the perspective of the right to privacy and the protection of personal information. The issues and the main problematic gray areas are identified and analyzed, such as the criterion of necessity, the requirement of anonymization and the obligation of consent, including the lessons of recent decisions and investigations by the OPC. A comparison with the regulatory framework of the European Union is proposed on certain points deemed more relevant. This thesis includes a reflection not only on the key obligations and their recent and rapid evolution in Quebec and Canada in a context of international tightening, but also on the OBA itself by raising questions and lines of thought for improving practices. Thus, this dissertation contains a pronounced practical component and a theoretical component which feed off each other. Part I is an inventory highlighting the factual and legal complexity surrounding the OBA, including an observation and reflection on the interactions between the different actors (organizations, self-regulatory bodies, supervisory authorities) and their role in the creation and evolution of formal and informal norms. Part II is devoted to the analysis of the main obligations incumbent on private sector companies participating in the OBA under PIPEDA and draft law C-27 at the federal level and Bill 25 in Quebec with regards to the protection of personal information. Finally, Part III analyzes the exercise of user control and the limits of consent.