Microtargeting

Microtargeting is the use of online data to tailor advertising messages to individuals, based on the identification of recipients’ personal vulnerabilities. Such tactics can be used for promoting a product or a political candidate.[1] Direct marketing data mining techniques that are used often involve predictive market segmentation (aka cluster analysis). Microtargeting's tactics rely on transmitting a tailored message to a subgroup on the basis of unique information about that subgroup.

Microtargeting is increasingly used by political parties and in election campaigns,[2] including Australia,[3] the United States Republican and Democratic political parties, as well as candidates who track individual voters and identify potential supporters. They use various means of communication such as direct mail, phone calls, home visits, television, radio, web advertising, email, and text messaging, among others, to communicate with voters, crafting messages to build support for fundraising, campaign events, volunteering, and eventually to turn them out to the polls on the election day.

Microtargeting can also be used, sometimes by foreign actors, to spread disinformation about political candidates and events among target groups.[4][5][6] For example, during the 2016 U.S. election, Russian disinformation campaigns targeted Facebook followers and now-defunct Cambridge Analytica exploited their data.[7][8][9] Concerns about the legality and restriction of microtargeting have been raised in both Europe and the United States.[10][11][12]

  1. ^ Lorenz-Spreen, Philipp; Geers, Michael; Pachur, Thorsten; Hertwig, Ralph; Lewandowsky, Stephan; Herzog, Stefan M. (30 July 2021). "Boosting people's ability to detect microtargeted advertising". Scientific Reports. 11 (1): 15541. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-94796-z. PMC 8324838. PMID 34330948.
  2. ^ COLOMINA, Carme; SÁNCHEZ MARGALEF, Héctor; YOUNGS, Richard (2021). The impact of disinformation on democratic processes and human rights in the world (PDF). Directorate General for External Policies of the Union.
  3. ^ Bogle, Ariel; Briggs, Casey (5 April 2022). "How political parties are using microtargeting to sway voter choices ahead of the federal election". ABC News. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  4. ^ Ó Fathaigh, Ronan; Dobber, Tom; Zuiderveen Borgesius, Frederik; Shires, James (December 2021). "Microtargeted propaganda by foreign actors: An interdisciplinary exploration". Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law. 28 (6): 856–877. doi:10.1177/1023263X211042471. hdl:2066/245698. ISSN 1023-263X. S2CID 244284473.
  5. ^ Roberts, Margaret E. (11 May 2020). "Resilience to Online Censorship". Annual Review of Political Science. 23 (1): 401–419. doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-050718-032837. ISSN 1094-2939. S2CID 212797110.
  6. ^ Torres-Spelliscy, Ciara (September 21, 2020). "A Lie Just for You in 2020 | Brennan Center for Justice". www.brennancenter.org. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  7. ^ Dawson, Jessica (2021). "Microtargeting as Information Warfare" (PDF). Cyber Defense Review. Winter: 63–79.
  8. ^ 116th Congress (2017). REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE UNITED STATES SENATE ON RUSSIAN ACTIVE MEASURES CAMPAIGNS AND INTERFERENCE IN THE 2016 U.S. ELECTION (PDF). Washington, DC: United States Senate Intelligence Committee.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Rosenberg, Matthew; Confessore, Nicholas; Cadwalladr, Carole (17 March 2018). "How Trump Consultants Exploited the Facebook Data of Millions". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  10. ^ Dobber, Tom; Fathaigh, Ronan Ó; Borgesius, Frederik J. Zuiderveen (31 December 2019). "The regulation of online political micro-targeting in Europe". Internet Policy Review. 8 (4). doi:10.14763/2019.4.1440. hdl:10419/214099. ISSN 2197-6775. S2CID 213562443. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Two Bills Introduced to Restrict Microtargeting of Political Ads". EPIC - Electronic Privacy Information Center. May 27, 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  12. ^ "H.R.4955 - Banning Microtargeted Political Ads Act of 2021117th Congress (2021-2022)". Congress.gov. Retrieved 23 December 2022.