Clickz.com: Only very few Google users are opting out of behavioral Targeting

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Looks like marketers are getting worked up about behavioural targeting without reason but Google could probably do a better job at promoting their opt-out service and raising awareness about the option as well.

Nine months ago, when Google first introduced behavioral ad targeting, it also rolled out an ad preferences manager. The page allows Web site visitors to edit their advertising interest categories -- for instance confirm an interest in cars or entertainment -- or to opt out of behavioral targeting altogether.

As it turns out, relatively few users visit the page, and among those who do only a small fraction opt out, according to Google. The finding suggests that those who seek out the page are predominantly comfortable with Google's behavioral ad practices.

"A good percentage of users are saying they'd rather control [behavioral targeting] than opt out," said Wong.

A rough calculation suggests that at the most, about 6,600 of Google's users are opting out of ad targeting per week. The figure is based on a generous estimate that the site captures 99,000 visitors on an average week -- the most possible if the site is indeed capturing tens of thousands yet not more than 100,000 visitors, as Google indicated to ClickZ.

Under this estimate: 6,600 (number of users opting out)*x 4 = 26,400 (number of users editing preferences)*x 10 = 66,000 (number of users taking no action).*The sum of those three is 99,000 -- again, the maximum number of weekly visitors to page, according to Google.

Read the original article here
http://www.clickz.com/3635881

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