Influence government: Exploring practices, ethics, and power in the use of targeted advertising by the UK state

Abstract

We have identified an emerging tool being used by the UK government across a range of public bodies in the service of public policy - the online targeted advertising infrastructure and the practices, consultancy firms, and forms of expertise which have grown up around it. This reflects an intensification and adaptation of a broader ‘behavioural turn’ in the governmentality of the UK state and the increasing sophistication of everyday government communications. Contemporary UK public policy is fusing with the powerful tools for behaviour change created by the platform economy. Operational data and associated systems of classification and profiling from public bodies are being hybridised with traditional consumer marketing profiles and then ‘projected’ onto the classification systems of the targeted advertising infrastructures. This is not simply a case of algorithms being used for sorting, surveilling, and scoring; rather this suggests that targeted interventions in the cultural and behavioural life of communities are now a core part of governmental power which is being algorithmically-driven, in combination with influencer networks, traditional forms of messaging, and frontline operational practices. We map these uses and practices of what we describe as the ‘Surveillance Influence Infrastructure’, identifying key ethical issues and implications which we believe have yet to be fully investigated or considered. What we find particularly striking is the coming-together of two separate structures of power - the governmental turn to behaviourism and prevention on one hand, and the infrastructures of targeting and influence (and their complex tertiary markets) on the other. We theorise this as a move beyond ‘nudge’ or ‘behavioural science’ approaches, towards a programme which we term ‘influence government’.

Police as communicators to prevent the spread of the COVID-19

“…As previously explained, the campaign to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak was carried out by the West Java Regional Police Public Relations Division without using Influencers. In fact, influencer can be identified and shape public habits and behaviors (Collier et al, 2022), and the local influencer has a greater connection to the small-scale communities (Kostygina et al, 2020). They use officials in the West Java Regional Police as influencers.…”

Machine Learning, Convergence Digitalization, and the Concentration of Power: Enslavement by Design Using Techno-Biological Behaviors

“…This has made very sophisticated recommender systems possible, by analyzing individual interests, likes and dislikes, and transaction level data collected from customer relationship touch points. Triggerable voice assistants can reach out to human beings directly (machine-tohuman), literally calling on them via what is known as nudge marketing [33]. This is a strategic application mix of marketing messaging that will encourage the desired behavior by a customer by appealing to their psychology toward the browsing of existing or new products and services, inevitably leading to physical online-based interactions.…”

Reconciling Governmental Use of Online Targeting With Democracy

“…In this paper, we explore the socio-political implications of the government's use of online targeting by examining a case study conducted by Collier et al [18]. This study uncovers that, since at least 2015, the UK government and law enforcement agencies have been employing targeted online advertising in various campaigns.…”

“…These campaigns aim to influence citizens' behavior by tailoring personalized online advertisements according to their psychological profiles. Prior to Collier et al 's research [18], civil society in the UK was largely unaware of the prevalence and scope of such practices.…”

“…Apart from the work by Collier et al [18], there is a notable gap in research regarding the socio-political implications of governments' use of online targeting. 1 Given the unique relationship between governments' use of online targeting, legitimate power, and the vast number of individuals affected by this contentious practice, there is an urgent need for interdisciplinary research to address the socio-political implications of governmental use of online targeting.…”