What are the Ethical Considerations of Online Advertising and Nanotargeting ?

For today’s class, we are reading:

- Google. 2010. The Digital Playbook: Can online ads move poll numbers? http://googlepublicsector.blogspot.com/2010/04/digital-playbook-can-online-ads-move.html

- Koster, Josh. 2009. Long-tail Nanotargeting. Campaigns & Elections. http://www.campaignsandelections.com/publications/campaign-election/2009/february-2009/long-tail-nanotargeting

- Koster, Josh. 2010. Nanotargeted Pressure. Campaigns & Elections. http://www.campaignsandelections.com/publications/campaign-election/2010/february-2010-the-case-study-issue/nanotargeted-pressure

Both  Koster articles endorse digital advertising, focusing on tightly crafted messages that “nanotarget” identified niche groups.  The “Long-tail” article explains the process, where niche audiences are identified not just by geographic and demographic targeting, but by keywords.  The article effectively explains the “nano” strategy with examples from Al Franken’s political campaign:  “Minnesotans who were searching for cheap gas or researching fuel-efficient cars saw ads about Franken’s plan to lower gas prices.” 

Koster’s and Davis’ article takes this targeting a step further (and appropriately used “Pressure” in its title).  Again working with a limited budget, and trying to exploit “paid media to drive earned media,” the authors discussed making “an outrageous ad with a compelling premise and run it just enough to get the press to start talking.”  The campaign used Facebook to target specific CNN employees:  “Hey Soledad O”Brian, why don’t you ask Lou Dobbs what it’s like to be Latino in America?”

In response to these articles, I question  the ethical dimensions of this highly successful political advocacy tool of online advertising. How much data-mining is appropriate to identify audiences, whether they be “low hanging fruit” or  otherwise?

If internet advocacy is pure advertising, what, if any, are fair boundaries in using internet data and reader/user habits??  It is certainly reasonable, and uniquely American, to glom onto “what works” and enterprisingly, make the most of it.  However, using digitalized media to exploit audiences, (read:  voters), is alarming to me.