The manner in which personalization is achieved is backwards: do not get the information from 3rd parties, get it directly from the consumer. I've had an idea f

The manner in which personalization is achieved is backwards: do not get the information from 3rd parties, get it directly from the consumer. I've had an idea for a marketing company for some time, and it is quite simple: consumer signs up and states their interests explicitly, and their non-interests explicitly. Then the marketing company simply uses that direct information of what the customer wants, with a small widget to tune what is presented so the recommendations refine with time. Why not just get accurate info from the consumer, why not provide a ready interface for them to tune their preferences?