Online media can often learn valuable details about the individual that has signed on to the site . Each user has an IP (Internet protocol) address which typically identifies the location of the individual down to at least the zip code level in the United States. Participants in the online advertising industry collect and store a great deal of information about people who use the internet. The providers that collect these data use them for various purposes. In some cases they employ them to conduct research to improve their products. Google’s privacy page, for example, says that it uses them to conduct research on common spelling mistakes and to assess the effectiveness of the ad rankings.
