The BBC is planning to ramp up its use of data-driven marketing by using personal data it holds about BBC website users to send targeted advertising messages to them on Facebook and Twitter.
According to reports, changes to the BBC’s Privacy & Cookies Policy will extend the use of information gathered from viewers when they register on the BBC website so that the information can be used for marketing.
The new BBC guidelines state: “We may use information which we hold about you to show you relevant advertising on third party sites (e.g. Facebook, Google, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter). “This could involve showing you an advertising message where we know you have a BBC account and have used BBC products and services.”
The BBC may “ask your permission to review third party data about you, for example, your Twitter or Facebook feeds, to get to know you better and to provide more effective personalisation”.
The idea behind the move is for the BBC to promote programmes on the iPlayer to users on social media sites. It will only send “public service messages” and not use Facebook and Instagram to advertise commercial products, it insists.
The changes also permit the BBC to share personal data with TV Licensing to check whether people are using the BBC iPlayer without the required television licence. Users of the iPlayer will need to enter a password to access the online catch-up service within the next few weeks.
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