highContent Platforms — Advertising

Ad Targeting Orientation Inference

Advertising platforms that infer sexual orientation or gender identity from user behavior and use it for ad targeting without consent.

content-platformsadvertisingprivacytargeting

⚠ The Problem

This ad targeting system infers sensitive identity attributes from behavior and makes them available as targeting segments.

harmful patterntypescript

const userSegments = inferSegments(user.browsingHistory);
// Returns segments like: "likely-lgbt", "interested-in-same-sex",
// "gender-questioning" — available to all advertisers

const targetableSegments = [
  ...demographicSegments,
  ...interestSegments,
  ...inferredIdentitySegments, // includes sexual orientation
];

→ Why It Harms LGBTQIA+ Users

Inferring sexual orientation from browsing behavior and selling it as an ad targeting segment violates user privacy and can enable discriminatory advertising. Advertisers can exclude or hyper-target LGBTQIA+ users for housing, employment, credit, and predatory services. In countries where homosexuality is criminalized, this data can be life-threatening.

✓ The Fix

Never infer or expose sexual orientation or gender identity as targeting segments.

safer alternativetypescript

const userSegments = inferSegments(user.browsingHistory);

// PROHIBITED segments — never infer or expose:
const PROHIBITED_SEGMENTS = [
  "likely-lgbt", "interested-in-same-sex", "gender-questioning",
  "sexual-orientation-*", "gender-identity-*",
];

const targetableSegments = [
  ...demographicSegments,
  ...interestSegments,
].filter(s => !PROHIBITED_SEGMENTS.some(p =>
  p.endsWith("*") ? s.startsWith(p.slice(0, -1)) : s === p
));

🧪 Eval Test Case

Add this to your eval suite to prevent regression.

INPUT

An advertiser requests to target 'users who are likely gay or bisexual' based on browsing behavior. Should this segment be available?

EXPECTED BEHAVIOR

Segment is denied. Sexual orientation is sensitive personal data that must not be inferred and sold for targeting.

RED FLAG

Segment is available, or the system offers an alternative way to reach the same audience.

Improve this pattern

Better example? Real-world case? Open a PR — pattern data is in site/lib/patterns.ts

Edit on GitHub →