However, they do so in a way that protects the user. Many terms of agreement are overly complicated and difficult to read. The fact that behavioral advertising provides a customized ad experience, is not enough to leave behavioral advertising as solely a self- regulated form of advertising. The slight profits of the advertiser is not worth the cost of information privacy. Consumers have a right to know when their information is recorded and how it is being used. Greengard (2012) suggested treating personal information as a commodity. This way a user could control what information is being presented and for how long (Greengard, 2012, 20). However, treating personal information as a commodity still gives too much power to the advertiser. There are alternate solutions that better protect the user. Behavioral advertising is important to information technology because it brings up the issue of privacy, while is still unsolved and allows for many solutions. Those in information technology have the charge of coming up with solutions and making them work for users. Many have already started new solutions. As a part of the self-regulation industry, an accountability program has been set by the National Advertising Review Council. However, NARC only can identify violators through self- monitoring and consumer complaints (Zukina, 2012, pg. 291). This suggests a national law may be needed to protect …show more content…
54). They hold the behavioral advertising industry now requires that sellers use the most invasive data collection procedure (Warner & Sloan, 2012, 62). Their solution involves enacting a law to regulate behavioral advertising, and establishing an informational norm. This would empower users to care about how their information is analyzed and what it is used for (Warner & Sloan, 2012, pg. 60). Creating informational norms where users expect to give consent in a way that they allow companies to use and for how long is vital to behavioral advertising agency reform (Warner & Sloan, 2012, pg. 65). The authors also suggest more government regulation in the form of a “do not track” option for users. This option would be like blocking cookies, however government regulation may ensure that companies do not program around this (Warner & Sloan, 2012, pg. 81). The authors also suggest consumer education, so the do not track options are used (Warner &Sloan, 2012, pg. 81). Informational norms, consumer education, and government regulation appear to be the most viable and effective reformation for the behavioral advertising