How would users control their online privacy if they had the choice?

In a recent survey conducted by Aimia, a loyalty management company, it was reported  that there was a notable difference between online privacy attitudes between adults under 30 and adults over the age of 30.

Respondents were asked to vote whether they'd prefer to "know what data is being collected," "opt-in to location tracking," "opt-in to online tracking," "be able to create a portable privacy profile" or "be rewarded for sharing personal data." In every category except the last, older respondents answered that they would favor choice and access to information and were generally more concerned about privacy. The younger generation favored only the personal reward method. In both age groups, certain methods of controlling privacy online were favored. The most popular option was "know what data is being collected," indicating that online users are more concerned with transparency than anything else. "Opt-in to location tracking" was in second place, followed by "opt-in to online tracking," "be able to create a portable privacy profile" and "be rewarded for sharing personal data," respectively.

Respondents to this survey weren't presented with the option of IP ad targeting, a solution that completely circumvents the need to collect online data in the first place. This method uses publicly available IP demographics to help advertisers narrow down their audience and focus their ad spend on the Zones where online users who are most qualified to respond to their campaigns reside. Rather than collecting cookies and consumer transaction data, an IP targeting solution like Semcasting's IP Audience Zones relies on over 750 demographic and psychographic data points to create statistically valid "look-alike models" of U.S. residents based on advancedpredictive modeling techniques. This unique, privacy-friendly solution not only appeals to the growing consumer demand for greater transparency and respect of online privacy, but it is also more lucrative for marketers and advertisers, as it provides far greater reach than traditional OBA advertising and provides greater accuracy in targeting the correct audience.