Online Behavioral Advertising: Do Awareness and Privacy Concerns Protect the Users

Abstract

The Internet is subjugated by free web services that use advertising and other marketing tools for revenue generation. Targeted online advertising is among most extensively used tactic by these websites in which selective advertisements are displayed based on user’s browsing behavior, socio-demographics, and interests. This trend has raised concerns due to the serious threats to the privacy. The main objectives of this study were to investigate the association between awareness regarding Online Behavioral Advertising (OBA) and Privacy Concerns among Users, the effect of awareness on buying behavior and to seek knowledge gap regarding awareness of OBA between socioeconomic segments. Data was collected via online survey (N=300). Findings confirmed a strong relationship between level of awareness regarding OBA, privacy concerns and effects of this association on attitudes and buying behavior of users (N=300, p < 0.05). Similarly, difference in awareness levels of users belonging to middle and upper-middle class was also found that confirmed the prevailing knowledge gap in the society (N=300,p< 0.05). The study highlights the need to design of recommends the academia to priotize digital media literacy of the users and policy makers in designing strategy related to privacy protection