We realise that many of the concepts explained here are somewhat more complicated. So, we’ve put together some important answers in the following FAQ.

Does Virtual Minds know who I am?
Nope. While we make some assumptions about you, we don’t know any directly identifying information about you. We don’t know your name, email address, address, or phone number. And honestly, we’re not interested in finding this out.

What about my IP address? 

We know your IP address, but we only use it in its unabridged form to deliver ads to your device or to enable others to do so, or to make probabilistic assumptions about whether a device belongs to a household. Otherwise, we only use your IP address in a highly abbreviated form, which isn’t enough to identify you or your device directly.

By the way, it should be noted that it’s theoretically possible to identify you via your IP address. However, this is an extremely complex process that is only possible, if at all, in cooperation with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). They will only release the relevant information based on a court order. So, it’s not possible for us to identify you via your IP address.

You say you “personalised” advertising, but then you know more about me!
Personalisation is based on probabilistic assumptions, meaning it’s only a probability value. The assumptions may or may not apply to you. The segments created are often so vague that they apply to a large number of people. For example, we might estimate that you could be between 20 and 28 years old.

Which Cookies are stored on my device, and can anyone read these Cookies?
A Cookie can only be read by the person who set it. For example, Virtual Minds can only read its own Cookies. The same applies to website operators. You can easily find out which Cookies are stored on your device. You can find this information in the settings of the browser you are using. There you will also find the options for deleting Cookies described in section 4.3 of the Platform privacy policy.

I don’t want online ads to be displayed to me, is it enough if I block/delete Cookies?
No. If you block or delete Cookies, you will usually still see ads. However, these ads will be displayed regardless of your preferences and interests and may be less relevant to you.

Why is there online advertising at all and what are the benefits of personalised online advertising?
Many providers make their services available to users for free. At the same time, these providers often have high costs for employees, the operation of the website, and other expenses.

One of the few options available to website operators to cover their costs is the integration of advertising. This enables a free, diverse offering on the internet that is accessible to everyone, regardless of the financial capacity of the individual user.

Both the website operator and the advertisers have an interest in showing you ads that are as relevant as possible. The website operator doesn’t want the ads to be perceived as annoying. This is the case, for example, if the ads are relevant to the user and are not displayed too frequently. For both purposes, the companies involved must be able to distinguish one user from another. The Cookies described above are used for this purpose.

At the same time, it is important to everyone involved that you have the most precise options possible to determine how your data is used for advertising purposes. We firmly believe that the acceptance of online advertising depends crucially on you as the recipient understanding the processes behind it and being able to influence them.

Many stakeholders appear in the description. What do these companies do?
Online advertising is a complex industry with many players. But it can be summarised simply: There are companies that work on the side of the providers of websites and other digital content (Publishers), helping them to market advertising space, and there are companies that help Advertisers to target their ads as accurately as possible.

Publishers usually do not have the technical means to offer and market advertising space themselves, so they work together with an SSP (Supply Side Platform). This Supply Side Platform recognises when a user visits the site and an advertising space is available. At that moment, it sends out a corresponding offer.

This offer is received by the DSPs (Demand Side Platform). These DSPs work for Advertisers (directly or through an agency). They determine whether the advertising space is of interest to the Advertiser. If it is, they place a bid; if several bid, the highest bidder wins the ad space.

All parties involved benefit from having additional information about the users who are currently visiting a Digital Offering. Some Advertisers therefore collect information about users on their own websites, e.g., when they visit a web shop with the help of a DMP such as the one offered by Virtual Minds. This information can then be used in both SSPs and DSPs to determine which users should be advertised to.

Of course, this illustration is a little simplified, but it shows the basic relationships and functions of the individual parties involved.