That’s right, me!

Microsoft fired another salvo Wednesday in its fight with Google and Yahoo for Internet supremacy, unveiling a new technology designed to capture online search advertising dollars.

…

The new tool will allow advertisers to buy not just keywords but also the demographics of the person searching on those keywords.

MSN can do that most effectively when the search is conducted by a registered user who has already provided some personal details to the site. MSN attracts more than 380 million unique users worldwide per month.

I like Google’s ad keywords. The idea of it does not offend me, and the results are unobtrusive and occassionally useful. But the second you start mixing my personal information into the equation, it stops being harmless. I don’t want anyone (particularly Microsoft, thank you) tracking, compiling, and recording my searches, attaching those to my personal profile, and then having the audacity to sell that to advertisers.

Update!

Personal identifying information is not included in the data dump.

I don’t care. I don’t want to give Microsoft any sort of marketable demographic data or anything that will give them more money than they already have. I just don’t like MS. Luckily, I can avoid the whole thing by just not signing up for or using any Microsoft services ever again. Happily, Turbine (the makers of Asheron’s Call) bought themselves back from Microsoft and no longer fall under the “MSN Passport” umbrella. That and MSN Messenger were the only reasons I had Microsoft-related online accounts, neither of which are any longer an issue.