"The use of behavioral targeting practices provides ad networks with the opportunity to tailor ads to the individual characteristics of users. As privacy concerns over behavioral targeting have been growing lately, an increasing number of ad networks offer ad preferences managers (APMs) that show collected and/or inferred information about users. The focus of our study is to investigate the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in such APMs. On the basis of our experimental results, we propose a structured methodology for APM validation. We also assess how third parties render ads based on users’ browsing behavior. Our findings reveal cases in which even sensitive information is leaked as part of an HTTP header and is used to serve ads on multiple sites. The third parties examined in this study include an intent-focused data exchange (BlueKai) and a social network (Facebook) along with the ad networks owned by AOL, Google, and Yahoo!."

The goal of the diploma thesis is to analyze the situation of behavioral targeted advertising in the Czech Internet market, assess its potential in the future and evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral targeting on the Czech market. This thesis is focused first on the Internet advertising market, media planning, explanation of selected targeting approaches and on detailed description of the behaviorally targeted ads including the online privacy issue. In the practical part analysis of the behavioral targeted advertising on the Czech market through expert interviews and evaluation of the effectiveness of behavioral targeting on an example of an advertising campaign of selected company is to be found.

Advertising in mobile apps are increasing and so is the need to show the right ad to the right user. This study was conducted in cooperation with Seekly AB, a company whose app displays a feed with upcoming events in a users immediate area. In this app, every event is associated with an interest and users can choose interests to follow in a list. Seekly wanted to use so called behavioral targeting to show ads in their feed. The solution that was developed is useful for all Seekly-like systems and consists of a content based recommender system that chooses ads based on the interests a user has selected and events and ads that the user has shown an interest in. Apps that in some way or another resembles the Seekly app are not uncommon and recommender systems for behavioral targeting suited for this kind of system are to the best of our knowledge not described in the literature. The resulting recommender system has been implemented and shown to be able to recommend ads that has been associated with interests that match the interests selected by the user and/or amplified by his or her behavior. There are also indications that the system would be able to increase the number of ad clicks compared to randomly selected ads, but no statistically significant proof was found.

By means of data-driven marketing as well as big data technology, this paper presents the investigation of a case study from travel industry implemented by a combination of propensity model and a business model “2W1H”. The business model “2W1H” represents the purchasing behavior “What to buy”, “When to buy”, and “How to buy”. This paper presents the process of building propensity models for the application in behavioral targeting in travel industry.     Combined the propensity scores from predictive analysis and logistic regression with proper marketing and CRM strategies when communicating with travelers, the business model “2W1H” can perform personalized targeting for evaluating of marketing strategy and performance. By analyzing the business model “2W1H” and the propensity model on each business model, both the validation of the model based on training model and test data set, and the validation of actual marketing activities, it has been proven that predictive analytics plays a vital role in the implementation of travelers’ purchasing behavioral targeting in marketing.

Detta är ett examensarbete som handlar om personlig integritet och användande utav sociala medier. Internet och sociala medier har fått en given del i vår vardag. Dessa sociala medier är gratis för användaren att använda och finansieras därför oftast via reklam som till en stor del baseras på den information användaren laddar upp på dessa tjänster när den använder dem, så kallad riktad reklam. Isbergsmodellen som Facebook bygger på innebär att man som användare inte ska märka av detta när man interagerar med tjänsten. Denna studie ämnar att undersöka om detta kan påverka användarnas personliga integritet och vad användarna anser om denna riktade reklam som baseras på information om dem. Detta studerades via en en webbenkät som distribuerats till unga vuxna inom Stockholmsområdet. Tre stycken djupare intervjuer utfördes även för att få en djupare förståelse kring användarnas beteende och resonemang. Metoden resulterade i 101 enkätsvar. Resultaten tolkas i enlighet med Alan F. Westins teorier om internetanvändarnas attityder till personlig integritet. Användarna i studien har en pragmatisk attityd till personlig integritet på internet och är därför väl medvetna om vad som försegår. Slutsatsen är därför att dessa unga vuxna i Stockholmsområdet inte löper någon risk att få sin personliga integritet kränkt vid användande av sociala nätverks-tjänster. / This thesis is about privacy and the use of social media. The internet and social media has become a given part of our everyday lives. These social media services are free to use and are therefore usually financed via advertising that to a large extent is based on the information that the users have uploaded to these services when they use them, so-called behavioral targeting. The iceberg model that Facebook is based on means that users will not notice this when they interact with the service. This study aims to investigate if this could affect the user's privacy and what the users opinion about targeted advertising is. This was studied via a survey that was distributed on the internet to young adults in the Stockholm area. Three in-depth interviews were also conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the user’s behavior and reasoning. The survey resulted in 101 responses. The results is interpreted with Alan F. Westins theories about privacy attitudes among internet users. The users in this study have a pragmatic approach to privacy on the internet. They are therefore well aware of what is going on behind the scenes. The conclusion is that these young adults in the Stockholm area don’t run any risk of having their privacy violated by using free social networking-services.

Online behavioral targeting (OBT) are customized ad messages based on personal information to enhance advertising effectiveness. Greater personalization typically increases relevance but is also told to cause privacy concerns. This study examines the constructs of advertising engagement and advertising avoidance on Instagram. Using the Critical Incident Technique, it identifies a typology of the three antecedents of both engagement and avoidance: relevance, degree of personalization and traceability of data source. While a high degree of personalization and relevance was found to be prevalent in both engagement and avoidance scenarios, tractability of data source was identified as an ethical boundary for research subjects and a decisive criterium in whether privacy concerns were being raised. The results propose common trigger combinations for both engagement and avoidance scenarios, yet there are cases falling outside the norm with suggests that acceptance and reactions to OBT is a highly complex construct were many external variables and as well as personal character traits might be at play. / Online beteendeinriktning (OBT) är anpassade annonsmeddelanden baserat på personlig information för att förbättra reklameffektiviteten. Större personalisering ökar vanligtvis relevansen men indikerar också att orsaka integritetsproblem. Denna studie undersöker konstruktioner av reklamengagemang och reklamundvikande på Instagram. Med den kritiska incidenttekniken identifieras en typologi av de tre föregångarna för både engagemang och undvikande: relevans, grad av personalisering och spårbarhet av datakällan. Emedan en hög grad av personalisering och relevans befanns vara vanligt i både engagemangs- och undvikelsesscenarier, identifierades datakällans spårbarhet som en etisk gräns för forskningsämnen och ett avgörande kriterium för huruvida integritetshänsyn togs upp eller inte. Resultaten föreslår vanliga utlösarkombinationer för både engagemangs- och undvikelsesscenarier, men det existerar fall som faller utanför normen men antyder att acceptans och reaktioner på OBT är en mycket komplex konstruktion där många externa variabler och personliga karaktärsdrag står på spel.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology that facilitates wirelesscommunication. It is being widely used for access control purposes to aid administration ofservices. As with most wireless technologies, RFID has its challenges, due to its medium (radio waves) of communication, which makes it susceptible to signal interception and other possible attacks. The goal of this project is to investigate the insecurities in the implementation of the RFID system in transit (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, Stockholm) systems. Due to the nature of the system, spatial information about consumers are accumulated over time thereby attracting some level of interests either legitimate or illegitimate, and raising some concerns. This thesis, takes into consideration the vulnerabilities of the RFID system and the potential security risks consumers of the system are exposed to, a detailed analysis is carried out on the existing infrastructure with the goal of exposing the shortcomings of the systems and proposing mitigating solutions. After an extensive work, seven (7) threats to privacy and security of RFID users were elaborated. Also discussion, about how different legislations around the world enforced data handling regulations in relation to commuter data, is carried out. Finally, most recent threats to consumer privacy are taken into consideration, as well as security in the mass transit field to put together a list of recommended safe practices. The work shows that RFID does pose significant threat to consumer privacy. One might argue that RFID has its benefits in its various implementations. However the fact remains that there are issues with regards to privacy that must to be addressed.

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.