[davidfischer]

I work on EthicalAds, one of the ad networks mentioned in the post. We focus on targeting relevant developer-focused ads to content rather than to individuals.

The post is great. My only nitpick is that the author mentions that they think retargeting will go away. The scope of retargeting might be reduced especially as third-party cookies stop working but I don't think retargeting will completely go away. Big ad companies with whom visitors have a direct relationship with (Google, FB) will always be able to do it. They know the pages on their sites and those linked from their site that visitors visit and they will use it to target ads. They don't need third-party cookies since they have first-party cookies.

Networks that just do ads and don't have relationships with visitors except for advertising will find it harder and harder. At EthicalAds, we don't do retargeting at all because of our privacy focus, but many ad networks will find retargeting more challenging (less precise, they can always fingerprint users) to do. Doing away with it is a good thing from a privacy perspective but it probably will further entrench the big players.

[dclowd9901]

This is some sneaky good advertising right here.

[davidfischer]

Ads don't need to track folks to be targeted and effective =).

[hinkley]

I don't know if it's a danger or just the illusion of one, but one of the things that targeted ads supposedly avoid is that of influence. In theory if the floor wax I'm advertising in my hypothetical home improvement content decides that they have a personal issue with some of the ethics I have espoused, then there is pressure for me to change or lose the endorsement.

This could be either direction as well. We could disagree on anything from me showcasing work by a feminist or LGBTQ+ carpenter, to me making a statement about fair trade goods and one of their suppliers is in a country known for rampant human rights violations.

The problem I think is that life is full of compromises, and I don't know that the bargain we've made and are now experiencing the consequences of is a particularly good one.

[charcircuit]

But ads that do will be more effective.