Targeted advertising—known elsewhere as behavioural advertising, personalised advertising, or surveillance advertising—is in the crosshairs of Australian lawmakers. Draft legislation is expected from the Australian Government to substantially update the Privacy Act for modern and digital life. This research reports on a survey of 1,063 Australians asking their opinions about targeted advertising.   

Key findings

• Australians find targeted ads intrusive, not helpful; only 20% of people find targeted advertising very or somewhat helpful, while 73% find it very or somewhat intrusive.
• There is widespread support for choice around targeted advertising, with 93% supporting proposals that require digital platforms to provide people with the choice to opt-out of targeted advertising.
• People want less data collected and used for advertising.
• Targeted advertising does not inform consumer choices, with only 27% saying they read or watch the ads.