> I eventually gave it up. Sounds like a business opportunity. An ad network where the "user interests" are supplied by the publisher (and maybe user-agent, se

> I eventually gave it up. Sounds like a business opportunity. An ad network where the "user interests" are supplied by the publisher (and maybe user-agent, see below), not by the ad network. The network doesn't need cookies for the user, doesn't track the user at all - the analytics are based exclusively on the data provided by the publisher/ website, not the user. This way, the publisher might target on the content (plus maybe known user preferences/ past activity on the site, while logged in). Sure, the publisher might also track the anonymous users & supply anonymous profiles, but at that point, why bother? Just use doubleclick like everybody currently does. You could even imagine integrating with the user agents. If I'm interested in ads for cars, I might willingly supply the information about "what kind of ad I'm interested in". In my own "advertising profile", that I keep under my control. Sounds like having a user-controlled advertising profile is a win for everyone - both users & advertisers. I'm not quite sure why nobody does it.