The Economic Impact of Privacy Protection: The Effects of Online Ad-Blocking and Anti-Tracking Technologies on Consumers’ Online Behavior and Purchases

Abstract

The collection and use of personal data for behaviorally targeting advertising is controversial. The online advertising industry claims this practice benefits all parties in the ecosystem (advertisers, publishers, and consumers), and is necessary to support the provision of free online services. Users seem to dislike online tracking and intrusive advertising, which has led to the proliferation of ad-blocking and anti-tracking technologies. This study is the first large-scale field experiment of the actual impact of ad-blocking and anti-tracking software on consumers. By using a technical infrastructure specially developed for this study, we are observing the online browsing and purchase behavior of 1,200 Internet users over a period of three months. This data will provide long sought empirical evidence on the actual impact of behaviorally targeted advertising, ad-blocking and anti-tracking technology on consumers’ browsing behavior and purchase decisions.

Date
Location
UC Berkeley Law School, Berkeley, CA