Bynamite is a Chrome and Firefox extension that allows you to edit the information various advertising networks collect from your web browsing, like Google Ads, Yahoo and Lotame.
Until now, there only seemed to be two positions on web advertising – that you didn’t care, or hated it enough to use something like Adblocker. What’s interesting about Bynamite, apart from the odd name, is that it’s trying to offer a middle way.
Personally, I accept that most of the good free stuff I get on the web is payed for by advertising so I’ll put up with it. But sometimes it goes too far, and other times I’ll see the same terrible ad for something I really don’t want over and over again. Bynamite works by collecting together the info that advertisers collect in an attractive and easy to use interface where you can add and remove whatever you want.
So, theoretically you can alter what the advertisers think they know about you, and make the ads they serve more relevant to you.
I think Bynamite is a neat idea, although it does require you to put some work in to benefit properly. Also, after a couple of days testing it out, it’s hard to say how much of an effect it has on the ads I see. Still, I think it’s a good idea to give users back some power over how their browsing habits are used. Bynamite could be the beginning of a new dynamic relationship between advertisers and consumers.
