An advertisement preference system including at least one processor and memory comprising:
- means for generating a user account for a user operating a web browser on a client device, the client device including at least one processor, memory, and the web browser, the client device being remote from the user advertisement preference system;
- means for providing the client device with a plugin, the plugin configured to communicate with the web browser and with the user advertisement preference system;
- means for generating a unique user identifier for the user account, the unique user identifier uniquely identifying the user account to the user advertisement preference system;
- means for storing the unique user identifier in association with the user account;
- means for providing the client device with the unique user identifier for a web browser cookie to include, the web browser cookie being stored in the memory of the client device, the web browser cookie configured to be provided from the client device to a website;
- means for receiving, from the plugin, at least one user advertisement preference that was specified by the user using the plugin on the client device, the at least one user advertisement preference being specified in response to a user interface generated by the plugin in response to at least one first online advertisement presented to the user, the user interface presenting in response to a user request a set of relevant user advertisement preferences relevant to the at least one first online advertisement, the set of relevant user advertisement preferences being identified for presentation based on one or more characteristics of the at least one first online advertisement, the at least one user advertisement preference indicating at least a preference for or against advertisements that share one or more characteristics with the at least one first online advertisement, the plugin configured to provide the at least one user advertisement preference to the user advertisement preference system, the web browser cookie not being modified to contain the at least one user advertisement preference;
- means for storing the at least one user advertisement preference in association with the unique user identifier in the memory of the system;
- means for receiving an advertisement request, the advertisement request including the unique user identifier from the web browser cookie;
- means for initiating in response to the advertisement request a bidding process with one or more bidders;
- means for receiving at least one bidder advertisement preferences requests from at least one of the one or more bidders, each bidder advertisement preferences request including the unique user identifier;
- means for retrieving in response to the at least one bidder advertisement preferences request, the stored at least one user advertisement preference associated with the unique user identifier;
- means for sending a redirect redirecting the client device to a winning bidder online advertisement-provider system associated with a winning bidder of the bidding process;
- means for receiving a winning bidder advertisement preferences requests from the winning bidder, the winning bidder advertisement preferences request including the unique user identifier;
- and
- means for providing the stored at least one user advertisement preference to the winning bidder online advertisement-provider system, the winning bidder online advertisement-provider system being capable of determining one or more user-targeted online advertisements to be presented to the user based on the at least one user advertisement preference, the at least one online advertisement-provider system being remote from the user advertisement preference system and remote from the client device.