Selfies posted online are being mass-scanned for marketing insights
Image from Shutterstock.
Those who publicly post seflies on sites including Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, Tumblr and Twitter may be sharing more than they realize.
Mass-scanning of the photos allows marketers to identify brand and product preferences of those depicted. Companies can then use the information to develop more effective advertising campaigns, by linking products that customers like to use at the same time, or even target advertising at specific individuals, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports.
Policies about information-sharing and storage of the photos by third parties don’t necessarily make clear—either to individuals posting photos or the companies viewing them—what is permitted, raising privacy concerns.
“This is an area that could be ripe for commercial exploitation and predatory marketing,” Joni Lupovitz of the child advocacy group Common Sense Media told the newspaper. “Just because you happen to be in a certain place or captured an image, you might not understand that could be used to build a profile of you online.”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Is your photo online? Are you on Facebook? If so, retailers can ID you and your shopping profile”
