The Harms of Targeted Weight Loss Ads

Author: Liza Gak, Kyle Polich

Publisher: Data Skeptic

Publication Year: 2022

Summary: The following podcast episode features Kyle who interviews Liza about her work doing interviews centered on people’s experience with weight loss advertisements. Ethical topics that were raised include how a person’s digital footprint can follow them for years and trigger advertisements that are un-healthful for individuals (i.e. targeting weight loss adds to people recovering from eating disorders), privacy concerns surrounding health issues, and the limited control individuals have over the ads they see.