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I don't understand why tracking is not being considered as mechanism helping companies to manipulate consumers into buying their stuff, essentially amounting to fraud? If you were going to track someone in real life and manipulating them into buying something, you would certainly end up in jail, so why is this allowed over the internet? Because consumers don't see companies who stalk them? In my opinion the whole tracking business should be illegal.



Isn't advertising, by definition, manipulating customers into buying stuff?


Advertising is providing information about the product, so that consumer can make an informed decision whether to buy it or not. Creating messaging tailored specifically to an individual exploiting various vulnerabilities or their situation is not.




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