The Texas Privacy Protection Act (HB 4390) was introduced last month, and it would require opt-in consent from consumers before companies could use their data for targeted ads. Advertisers aren’t happy.
Without the ability to effectively advertise online due to opt-in consent barriers, revenues will be impacted and companies that rely on such revenue may no longer be able to support free and low cost content and services that Texans desire, such as online newspapers, social networking sites, mobile applications, email, and phone services,” the ad industry writes in a letter sent last week.
The groups add that the constant requests for consent will frustrate consumers and also “desensitize” them, which will reduce “their sense of control over their privacy.”
Check It Out: Advertisers Hate This Texas Privacy Proposal
The secret is to make ads noticeable but not obtrusive. Example, here on TMO there are ads and I notice them but they don’t interrupt the flow of the articles. They are safely tucked away at the top and right side. As a result I’ve white listed TMO. On the other hand CultofMac has a huge problem. Ads appear in the text mess up the formatting, Regularly they appear on top of embedded videos. Sometimes I’ve had trouble telling which images on the page are part of the article and which are ads that will go full screen if I roll over them. I don’t white list CoM. Every time I go there on my iPad they have a page that says We see that you are blocking ads on Culkt of Mac. We relay…yadda yadda yadda. I always click through it.