Tracking Software

When an organization wants to learn about the public’s use of digital media, it relies on tracking software. This software allows practitioners to gain insight into details of the public’s life without directly communicating with them. These observations can then be used to personalize campaigns. For example, tracking software might tell a practitioner that a customer is shopping online for new sneakers. An organization then adds pictures of sneakers to marketing-communication such as emails, digital advertisements or social media posts. The goal is to make the campaign tailored to the person so they notice the relevance to their own life, without making the person feel monitored or watched.

Usually, the integration of information from tracking software into a personalized promotion is an automated process, meaning a computer system does the work for the practitioner. However, practitioners should still monitor these campaigns to ensure that data is being used responsibly and customers do not feel as if their private information is being used inappropriately.

In addition, storing data about customers carefully is also important to maintain the ethical integrity of the organization. For example, when an organization collects information about customers for shopping rewards programs, it is important to make sure the data collected is protected from hackers or third parties who may use the information unethically. Sometimes this sensitive information can include data such as social security numbers, credit card information and phone numbers.

In 2012, inadequate protections caused a data breach and let hackers access more than 70 million customers’ social security numbers from Target. This left half of winter holiday shoppers vulnerable to identity theft. Although Target had its own system of protecting user data, the unethical actions of hackers caused a crisis. This demonstrates the need for organizations to use substantial methods of protection for the data they collect from customers.

Although the use of tracking software has become an industry norm, it is still important to assess it against Bowen’s 15 Ethical Guidelines for Digital Public Relations. Seemingly, four of the 15 guidelines are compromised by the use of tracking software.

1. Tracking software violates the “avoid deception” guideline. Although research has shown that users know that they are being tracked to some extent, they generally are unaware the extent of the information gathered. They are also generally unaware of the process of tracking, the management and protection of their data, and who else has access to their information. These are important details that are frequently undisclosed to users, but may impact their well-being and trust in the organization.
2. Using tracking data violates the “eschew secrecy” guideline. Most practitioners intentionally do not tell users when their data is being used to tailor content or build a campaign. This type of secrecy has the potential to alienate customers who feel as if they are uninformed about the use of their own information.
3. Tracking data does not allow the public to “clearly identify” where information is coming from. Bowen recommends telling consumers the origins of messages and content. By not disclosing the process of tracking data, users cannot identify the source of a message or how a communicator got their information.
4. Because so much of the tracking and personalization process is automated, it is difficult to “verify sources and data.” There is no individual public relations practitioner who is responsible for ensuring the data collected is accurate.

Consider what would happen if you lent your computer to a friend. Data about your friend’s use would be attributed to you, even if you have different tastes or interests than your friend. There is no way to verify the accuracy of the information that is being collected which can lead to major ethical problems if you inaccurately tailor messages.