A collective term for digital systems that manage, deliver, and measure online advertisements. It includes platforms for buying and selling ad space, audience targeting, and data analytics.
The automated process by which computer algorithms select which ads or content to show users based on data about their behavior, preferences, or demographics.
Information generated by an individual’s online and offline actions, such as searches, clicks, purchases, or movement patterns.
A company that collects, aggregates, and sells personal or behavioral data from various sources to advertisers, marketers, and other organizations.
The conversion of everyday actions, decisions, and interactions into quantifiable data that can be analyzed and monetized.
The trail of data a person leaves behind when using digital devices or services, such as location traces, browsing histories, or app usage patterns.
A concept introduced by scholar Shoshana Zuboff to describe a form of control achieved through data-driven systems that influence or steer human behavior without direct coercion.
The practice of tailoring advertisements to individuals or groups based on data about their preferences, habits, or demographic characteristics.
Tools and methods that help protect personal information, such as anonymization, encryption, differential privacy, and decentralized identity systems.
An automated digital auction process in which advertisers bid in milliseconds to show ads to users who match certain profiles.
An economic system in which personal data is collected and used to predict and influence behavior for profit.
