Advances in data collection and algorithms help advertisers to better target individual consumers by predicting each consumer's preferences. We first show that when consumers have uncertainties about their preferences, an ad targeted to a consumer carries an implicit message: the algorithm...

The pervasive use of personal data by modern algorithmic recommender systems has sparked public outcry for tighter privacy regulations. Personal preferences over different product offerings are a basic constituent of consumer privacy. We study how a profit-driven online platform, who has...