Google Says It'll Watch You, Show You Targeted Ads

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Google Inc. will use its surveillance of Web surfing habits to figure out which ads are best suited...
Google Inc. will use its surveillance of Web surfing habits to figure out which ads are best suited to each individual's interests, relying on technology that search giant got last year in a $3.2 billion acquisition of the Internet ad service DoubleClick Inc.
(ABC News Photo Illustration)

Google Inc. will use its surveillance of Web surfing habits to figure out which ads are best suited to each individual's interests — a practice likely to illuminate just how much the Internet search leader has been learning about millions of people around the world.
Under the program announced Wednesday, someone who frequents sites about dogs might see more ads for flea treatment products even when visiting another Web destination that has nothing to do with pets.
The tactic relies on technology that Google got last year in a $3.2 billion acquisition of the Internet ad service DoubleClick Inc. Some of the opposition to the deal revolved around potential privacy intrusions, but Google overcame those misgivings during an extensive review to win regulators' approval for the deal.
The ads, set to debut within the next few weeks, initially will appear on Google's YouTube and thousands of other sites that belong to Google's ad network.