Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, and including a method for managing privacy rights of a user related to the delivery of content. The method comprises providing a global privacy management interface that presents a selection tool for enabling a user to review privacy options and interests. The privacy options and interests include controls for presenting a list of identifiers that are associated with the user and interests associated with those identifiers. Each identifier is associated with a requesting source having been used by the user to access content. The interface enables de-selection of individual interests on a per-identifier or global basis. The method further comprises determining, in a server system, content to deliver to the user in view of the privacy selections.

Techniques are described for retrieving advertisements for insertion into a document. Embodiments receive a document comprising a request to retrieve a plurality of advertisement creatives. In response to transmitting the request specified within the received document to the advertisement management system, a single software object defining all of the plurality of advertisement creatives is received. Embodiments insert each of the plurality of advertisement creatives into the document, prior to rendering the document, and then render the document together with the advertisement creatives.

Auto-detecting an action on a merchant service and rendering an offer button to display an offer redeemable based on the action. A user accesses a merchant service and an indication of the action is communicated to an offer system that maintains an account for the user. The offer system determines whether the user has an offer applicable to a purchase with the merchant. The user device presents an offer button rendered to indicate that the first offer is available for redemption by the user. The user initiates an action on the merchant service and the user device communicates an indication of the action to the offer system. The offer system determines if the user has a second offer applicable to a purchase with the merchant based on the action taken by the user and the offer button is rendered to indicate that the second offer is available for redemption.

Contact information for a recipient and an audio recording of a message from a sender to the recipient are obtained from a network node in a communication session with a network node associated with the sender. Based on the contact information, a notification that the recorded audio message is available is sent the recipient. Based on receipt of a request in connection with the notification, an audio message including an invitation for the recipient to specify an opt-in preference regarding receipt of direct marketing communications is transmitted to the recipient. Receipt of an indication of the recipient's opt-in preference triggers both a playback of the audio recording of the message on the recipient's network node and the generation of a marketing preference record that includes an indication of the recipient's opt-in preference and information evidencing that indication.

Aspects automatic provide compensation in response to graphic item selection. in response to a selection by a viewing user of a graphic item visible within an image published on an interactive web-based service, aspects analyze text content posted on the interactive web-based service in association with the published image to identify a reference by the viewing user to the graphic item within the analyzed text content. In response to determining that the selection of the item is associated with a reference by the viewing user to the graphic item within the analyzed text content, an item selection action defined for the graphic item is executed and a reward value is provided to another, different user that published the image on the interactive web-based service.

Methods and apparatus to provide an electronic agent are disclosed. An example method includes receiving an interactive program via a network at a first information presenting device, accessing a list of keywords associated with the interactive program via the network, accessing a first database using at least one of the keywords, and presenting an electronic agent on the first information presenting device to at least one of present information retrieved from the first database or offer to retrieve information identified via the first database.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, and including a method for managing privacy rights of a user related to the delivery of content. The method comprises providing a global privacy management interface that presents a selection tool for enabling a user to review privacy options and interests. The privacy options and interests include controls for presenting a list of identifiers that are associated with the user and interests associated with those identifiers. Each identifier is associated with a requesting source having been used by the user to access content. The interface enables de-selection of individual interests on a per-identifier or global basis. The method further comprises determining, in a server system, content to deliver to the user in view of the privacy selections.

There is provided a computer implemented method for the automated analysis or use of data, to answer questions, comprising the steps of: (a) storing in a non-transitory storage medium a structured, machine-readable representation of data that conforms to a machine-readable language, in which the machine-readable language uses a shared syntax across factual statements, queries and reasoning, and uses nesting of nodes and passages, as an unambiguous syntax; where the data relates to parts of documents stored in a document store; (b) automatically processing the structured, machine-readable representation of data to answer questions, in which a user's query is automatically translated into the machine-readable language and a system responds to the user's query by utilising the machine-readable language translation of the query.

A method of providing digital content is disclosed. A request to view and interact with the digital content is received from a user. In response to the request, it is determined whether the user has advert-free rights to view and interact with the digital content. In response to determining that the user does not have the advert-free rights to view and interact with the digital content, the user is provided with an alternative advert (AA) query that includes AA query items. The AA query items include at least one preselected AA query item, where the preselected AA query item is enabled or not enabled to be unselected by the user. In response to determining that an AA query response to the AA query was received from the user within a predefined time period, the requested digital content is provided to a user device of the user without adverts.

Various implementations described herein provide systems and methods for online advertising and, more particularly, systems and methods that utilize user preferences in providing online advertising. In various implementations, systems or methods described herein facilitate user control of user-related data with respect to online advertisement systems, which can include supply-side platforms (SSPs), advertisement exchanges, demand-side platforms (DSPs), content delivery networks (CDNs), ad networks, or adservers. In some implementations, the system and methods implement or otherwise facilitate a user advertisement preference service that enables online users to manage one or more user advertisement preferences and selectively provide those user advertisement preferences to online advertisement systems.