back to article Mobe networks test-drive punter-tracking kit to sling 'better' ads

Mobile network operators are already storing your browsing data for a year to better target advertising and optimise the network. But is that any worse than Google harvesting the same thing? Not according to Guavus, one of the companies providing the monitoring technology, which last month acquired "mobile data intelligence" …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    wouldn't mind targeted adverts, if they were!

    I wouldn't actually object to adverts targeted to my interests, but so far it doesn't work that way.

    Even facebook fails to get it right when they know explicitly what I like!!

    Case in point; most of my recent web activity has been related to gun control in the States, so I get shown NHS stop smoking adverts. Why?!

    1. Lee D Silver badge

      Re: wouldn't mind targeted adverts, if they were!

      I wanted a piece of perspex the other day. I googled for it, bought it, it arrived next day. A month later I get perspex adverts on every site I go to, from the same company I bought from, even on things like LWN.net which I go to every day. I haven't seen a decent Linux-related ad in decades.

      Most ad money is just wasted, it has to be said. Like tobacco advertising - it worked to the tobacco's firms advantage when it was banned in the UK because they saved an awful lot of money by not advertising any more, and as no brand could advertise, it didn't hurt them at all.

      Online ads are never "targeted", they are just keyword hunted to oblivion. You also end up with things that make people think twice about allowing you to share my data or even show me adverts: I once ended up on Milanoo through a search engine click for something completed unrelated (someone had been keyword spamming technical terms on a clothing site!). A month later I was still getting adverts for leotards, lingerie and even latex dresses on random sites that I visited (and have never bought any of the above online and certainly won't be in the primary market for them).

      If you used your brain and offered Linux (or even Windows!) ads to people on TheRegister, Slashdot, LWN.net etc., or at the very least something IT-related, you might up end up more results. But spamming me with things I've already bought, or never would buy, rather than the stuff you see me to go every day, maybe there's an advertising opportunity there? No. I'm just waiting for the first ad to appear about perspex leotards, instead.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: wouldn't mind targeted adverts, if they were!

      It is so easy not to see any adverts on your PC and soon wil be on mobes too with Ubuntu or Firefox OS.

  2. Silverburn
    Thumb Down

    Mobile network operators are already storing your browsing data for a year to better target advertising and optimise the network.

    Nay, nay and thrice nay. Don't want.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      ..........of course if the ads were for Tesco Burgers it would be.......

      Neigh Neigh and thrice Neigh!

      Coat... I has it.

  3. Da Weezil
    Mushroom

    two words... one of them "off".

    I'm more likely to avoid ads that are spammed at me while browsing. Ad blockers installed wherever possible. I am NOT a marketing opportunity.

    If ever an "industry" was a perfect example of a waste of energy and resources it is the Ad "industry"

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hello Guvas -

    If your product really IS that good, just show me ads for stuff I will want NEXT WEEK, rather than the stuff I looked at LAST WEEK (and am now sorted for, thank you.)

    Until you can do that reliably, you have no right to call advertising driven by your data "targetted"

    All you will achieve otherwise is to tell me which me I need to start avoiding.

    Now: With what part of FOAD would you like help understanding?

  5. Irongut

    is that any worse than Google harvesting the same thing?

    No but I don't want them doing that either which is why I use Ghostery, DuckDuckGo whenever possible and don't use Chrome.

    This article makes me glad I do almost all my mobile surfing via WiFi. Mind you Vodafone think I'm a female, 7 years younger than myself with completely different first and last names. Having a phone on your gf's contract has some advantages! :)

  6. dephormation.org.uk
    Big Brother

    Its illegal

    Browsing history stored for law enforcement purposes... is meant to be held securely and only used for law enforcement purposes (EC Data Retention Regs).

    Not abused for advertising by telco marketing clowns.

    Divulging some or all of the content of a communication to a third party, without consent from *both* parties, is a crime in the UK (RIPA, Copyright Theft, PECR, ECHR Article 8 &c).

    It is automated industrial espionage/personal surveillance.

  7. Zebo-the-Fat
    Unhappy

    Targeted Adverts.....NOOooooo.......!

    I don't want Targeted Adverts, I don't want ANY adds. I block them whenever I can on my PC, (admuncher is a great help!) I only watch time shifted, recorded TV and skip past any ads. I don't actually care that the ads pay for the content, I just don't need to be insulted by them, if I want to buy something I do some checking, look at reviews and then decide, ads are pointless.

  8. Vimes

    ...they're happy to be tracked by the search giant then why not by Sprint too?...

    Because perhaps they're not happy being tracked? More than that: the companies that want to track us know this.

    You can see this with the development and public support for DNT, as well as the industrys efforts to see that any limits it contains end up being castrated and reduced to complete meaningless.

    Witness for example their efforts to classify 3rd party cookies as 1st party cookies thereby placing tracking cookies outside the scope of DNT...

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