Ad targeting worked pretty well before the advent of mass digital surveillance. Every ad does not need a "personal" touch. The diner across the street has pap

Ad targeting worked pretty well before the advent of mass digital surveillance. Every ad does not need a "personal" touch. The diner across the street has paper placemats that are covered in ads - they don't print a personal and customized one for every customer that sits down. They have one placemat that has a wide variety of ads that appeal to the general customer base of the business. That's basically how it worked on the early internet, too. The problem with early internet advertising wasn't how it was targeted - it was that the ads were damned annoying.