Cross-Context Behavioral Advertising

Under CPRA, targeted advertising based on a consumer's personal information obtained from the consumer's activity across different businesses, websites, applications, or services. This definition captures the essence of behavioral advertising that tracks users across unrelated contexts to build profiles and serve targeted ads. For example, visiting a shoe store's website and then seeing shoe ads on a news site would be cross-context behavioral advertising. CPRA treats sharing personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising similarly to selling personal information, requiring disclosure and opt-out rights. This recognition addresses concerns that data monetization happens not just through direct sale but through advertising arrangements. Organizations engaged in cross-context behavioral advertising must provide clear disclosures, honor opt-out requests, and limit sharing with contractors or service providers. The definition's breadth means many advertising practices fall within this category.