Does Society Benefit From Behavior-Based Advertising?

Google turned some heads this week when they announced behavior-based advertising - targeted ads based on browsing history. Although not as striking, FacebookFacebook reviews made some headlines as well, announcing geo and language ad targeting. Both cases display the desire of advertisers to have as detailed and targeted advertising campaigns as possible, as well as GoogleGoogle reviews and Facebook’s desire to simply make more money through advertising.

Concerns have been raised by privacy groups over user data and Google’s method of opting-out of behavior-based ads. But there is another argument: bringing more relevant and less intrusive ads to the user is a positive step technologically, economically, and socially. But what impact does behavior-based advertising have on society, and is it a good one?