Friday, December 09, 2011

'Adware' Frusterates Facebook, Google

Today the Wall Street Journal reports that third-party software developer is wrecking havoc on the largest digital advertising platforms. When users download the various apps by the developer, the have the option of one that enables more user customization. The problem is that this customization can layer adds over Facebook's existing ones. Since the only beneficiary is the third-party developer, Facebook and Google are trying to end this practice. Still, this is a gray area in the digital arena, and will likely continue.

Even if Facebook and Google end up playing a "game of cat and mouse" with new updates, advertisers have an obligation to not participate in apps that layer adds over google and facebook. Gap and American Express are among the advertisers that can be found on the layered ads, despite not directly working with them, and they must proactively work with their marketing agencies to maintain credibility in digital marketing. Imagine a world with subscription costs for Gmail and memberships fees for Facebook. If we're going to continue getting free services of value for the masses, we need to make sure advertising is done in a fair, credible way. Covering up adds on sites that user's are leveraging is simply not fair, despite the value of customization that Sambreel is offering.

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