Is Anyone Out There?

The recent flurry of activity in behavioral targeting has privacy advocates sharpening their proverbial claws and ready to enter the fray. Indeed, between Google's merger with DoubleClick, AOL's acquisition of Tacoda, and Facebook's announcement that it may leverage user information to generate advertising revenue, there's plenty to talk about. For e-commerce counsel, the primary issue emerging is whether our jurisprudence can balance privacy interests against the advertisers' business interests, or whether such things are better left to those most vested in the issue. This article delves into the relationship between the quality of the online experience and the extent to which personal information should be shared with commercially interested parties.