Last week, TiVo and Google announced that they are teaming up to utilize second-by-second viewer data to provide more targeted advertisements. Under the deal, TiVo will provide anonymous viewing trend data, which will be analyzed and help advertisers know whom they are and aren’t reaching when using Google’s TV Ads system. While this may be a boon for advertisers and viewers alike, Google’s further expansion into the television advertising realm may be cause for some concerns for privacy advocates.
Google has long been an innovator and a dominant player in providing targeted ads on the Internet. Thus the new deal must be a dream come true for television advertisers, who will be able to benefit from Google’s expertise. And targeted ads also confer a sort of consumer benefit as well, with viewers being exposed to content that is more in line with their tastes. No more middle-aged housewives being subject to those Just for Men hair coloring commercials.
Nonetheless, there is something to be said for the expansion of targeted advertising into the TV realm. While data will be collected on an anonymous basis, this could lead to increased targeting of ads based on personal information. There is of course another concern that this deal would provide yet another source of data for the government to subpoena and search. Numerous cases have arisen in which federal investigations have demanded search records and IP addresses. As such, TiVo and Google should proceed with such concerns in mind.
Perhaps the relevant consideration here is whether television viewers have a more reasonable expectation of privacy than Internet users. Internet users understand that there is a two-way flow of data across the Web, and that data is processed and relayed through servers and bandwith hosts. Television is more of a one-way flow: a cable or satellite dish receives a stream of channels from the provider. This may change as television services become inherently more interactive and Web based, however in the meantime, TV providers should hold themselves to a higher standard of privacy that would preclude a move toward more individually targeted advertising.
To its credit, TiVo has notified its subscribers of the data-sharing arrangement (I am a TiVo user and was happy to receive this notification). Ideally, however, TiVo should allow its users to opt out from this information-sharing agreement, just as certain software does. I know if given the option to opt out, I certainly would take it.
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