Online Ads That Know Who You Know

Thanks to the efficiency of Web and database technologies, even small ad outfits are able to track staggering numbers of people. 33Across, for instance, says it has its cookies installed in 1.25 billion browsers at any given time, leading the 81-person company to claim more "users" than even Facebook or Google.

Kline says 33Across purchases data about people's sharing habits from smaller social networks. She declined to name those sites, saying they don't want to be identified. Technology Review found that 33Across's technology is present on Web pages including Lockerz.com (a photo-sharing page) and the dating site OKCupid.

This year, 33Across also purchased Tynt Multimedia, known as the "copy and paste" company. Its service is used by scores of publications, including Sports Illustrated and the New Yorker. Every time a person pastes article text from those sites into an e-mail or other application, the technology appends a URL to the copied text. If anyone clicks on such a link, 33Across records a social connection to the person who sent it.

33across, like RadiumOne, says it doesn't know the identity of the people it is tracking. It never collects names, Social Security numbers, or other personally identifiable information. In fact, it treats people not as individuals but as examples of any of about 250 consumer types, like soccer moms or "heavy sharers." Individuals are assigned to one of these groups in mere instants, Kline says.

"It's 'Can I categorize you into a group that is saleable?' And if not, good-bye," says Kline. "I don't know who you are. You are just a number in an algorithm."

business, business impact, privacy

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