MAJORITY OPPOSED TO MICROTARGETING

Most Americans say they don’t want political campaigns to microtarget them through digital ads, according to a poll released Monday.

That view is shared among Democrats, Republicans and independents based on the Gallup poll conducted in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Seventy-two percent of those surveyed said internet companies should share no information about its users to political campaigns to target certain voters with digital ads. The view is shared by 69 percent of those who identify as Democrats, 75 percent of Republicans and 72 percent of independents.

Twenty percent of those polled said that they thought limited information, such as a person’s gender, age or zip code, should be allowed to be shared.

Just 7 percent of those surveyed said any available information, including specific information on a person’s interests, frequently visited websites and searched topics, should be shared, based on the poll.

Despite the limited support, such tactics are in line with policies at companies like Facebook, which has not put any limits in place on ad targeting.