I read that article. So wrong on so many levels. It’s really messed up that if I type in an inquiry about bird hybridization, suddenly I’ll get inundated with ads about bird supplies. I’m not looking at weird science stuff so I can buy a bird cage. The opt-in policies are a joke. I talked to that friend of mine in the industry, and he bitterly laughed. He said that ads will always find a way to get you in the end. All opt-in or opt-out does is depersonalize your ad experience. Oh, and AdSense is his mortal enemy because of what you pointed out. On his side of things, companies will buy spots on Google, basically giving them first place in SEO, so that’s all you see when you search for whatever you’re looking for depending on what it is. He was party to it when he worked for a tanking travel agency. It’s common practice. He said it’s an aggressive way to get people to click the link so they can collect that data. As their methods evolve, ad blockers will too, and I will be sure to keep on blocking. I do like having a friend in the industry. It’s fun finding out their evil secrets.
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