Digital Analytics is here to stay there is no question. With all the optimization, efficiency and the ability to better target your audience, the appeal is natural and understandable. With this in mind; how do we sure up the data so as to maintain privacy in an increasingly “Peeping Tom” environment?
Today’s Information environment is vast; companies have figured ways to collect data from their users in ways never before believed possible. When, where, how much, frequency, and the list goes on for what is being collected. Devices to chart sleep patterns, location, steps per day, mood when buying based on patters, items related to current purchase based on previously collected data, etc. All this advancement with one real goal; money! No I mean a happier you oops. A Nobile goal on the surface but who is looking at it from any other angle, is another perspective even necessary?
Let’s start with no. No we have no need to be concerned. No one cares about this data, at least not from a malicious standpoint. Even if they did we have randomized it so that users are protected and kept anonymous. In fact all we know is IP address activity, not even who is using it. Or in other cases, yes we know who they are, they created an account but we enforce strict security measures to prevent the malicious use of our user’s data. We would never allow access to our data without going through the proper channels and following regulation.
While this sounds good on the service and it might even be true let’s look at it from another angle. And let’s call this angle “Current Events”. For the past several months we have read articles about a man named Edward Snowden, Articles about the “NSA” National Security Agency, and how they are behaving with our information and who/how they are obtaining it. There are even articles about other countries spying for many years on our data and we are just finding out. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2014/02/mask/
We should now look at this phenomenon from another angle. Our data is not private! It is neither safe nor secure! It is being sold to the highest bidder with whatever motives suit the buyer as it is not in the sells best interest to ask. And most people don’t understand what that means in breadth or depth.
This is not an environment of privacy! In fact most people, especially the elderly, have no idea they are consenting to the whoring of their data in the first place (even if they did hit the “I agree” button at the end of their 5,000th, 200page consent form). Hopefully no atrocities are going to be committed by the data being collected/used this way, at least we all hope there aren’t (makes you wonder what the NSA told AT&T to leave out of their report, http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2014/02/ma-bell-non-transparency/ ). This begs the question. What might happen if the data was to be used maliciously? Who would be accountable?
With statements like this from Google “users have no legitimate expectation of privacy” what does that mean for the future. http://www.digitaltrends.com/web/google-gmail-users-have-no-expectation-of-privacy/ If I want to keep my information private how do I do this and still participate in this wave of future with all of its convince and pizazz? Is it reasonable for a non IT expert to go off the grid in hopes to keep some privacy? Do I forego all the sales and deals associated with this data collection movement? Or do we look at protecting the users privacy TRULY while still collecting the necessary data? There seem to be a few companies who have this mind set and users appreciate it.
It is important for the Data Analytics of the future to keep the trust of its data pool. There is very much a symbiotic relationship between the two and the relationship needs to remain pure. No more NSA “gifts”, no more selling your user data unless completely anonymous (it’s not anonymous if our email is getting spammed or our phones are being called by the company that bought our data). Protect the privacy of your users and Karma will make sure it comes back to you!
Course blog for Digital Analytics course at the University of Utah
Showing posts with label Privacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Privacy. Show all posts
Friday, February 21, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Who's Who: Cross-Platform Customer Identification
Customers want [and expect] relevant ads but want control over their data1 but how do we identify those customers and their preferences across multiple platforms?
But what happens when we use more than one device and don't sign in all of them?
![]() |
| Courtesy of http://blog.limelight.com/2013/02/how-are-you-adapting-your-marketing-to-mobile/ 3 |
With the introduction of so many different devices a person
may
- Read an email about a product on their phone on their way to work
- On their work computer they begin researching the product using two different browsers
- At home they show their significant other on their tablet
- Finally before going to bed place the order on their personal desktop
From the business’s reference point they received a
number of unique visits and a purchase with no prior browsing history.
This scenario or something like it is common but how
can this company connect the dots and deliver relevant content without knowing
anything about the customer?
This type of customer Forrester Research calls a
PCC (Perpetually Connected Consumer). In
the US, by the end of 2012, 42% of online adults met the Forrester definition
of PCCs, up from 38% in late 2011. Globally, Forrester predicts that by
the end of 2013, close to half of online adults will be perpetually connected.4
The way to identify this growing type of customer isn’t
always clear for each business especially when considering a respective
business’s current status on customer identification but one thing is for
certain, a business will need more data, lots more.
One suggested method is getting a DMP or data
management platform. Jack Marshall from Digday
describes it as a data warehouse used for storing and analyzing information
specifically pertaining to marketing.5
Whether you build or buy you will be faced with the
same concerns
- Cost of implementation and data collection
- Scalability
- Privacy infringement
Of those concerns arguable the most important is that of privacy, according to Visioncritcal.com privacy and big data are on a collision course. 6 While cost and system scalability can worked on internally how customers' data is used will be a reflection on the company.
References
1 Online
Users Say They Want More Relevant Ads, But With Privacy Controls Attached. (2013,
November 8). http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/online/online-users-say-they-want-more-relevant-ads-but-with-privacy-controls-attached-38009/
2 3 in 10 Retailers Unable to Identify Customers at the POS. (2012, February 2). http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/direct/3-in-10-retailers-unable-to-identify-customers-at-the-pos-20948/
3 http://blog.limelight.com/2013/02/how-are-you-adapting-your-marketing-to-mobile/
2 3 in 10 Retailers Unable to Identify Customers at the POS. (2012, February 2). http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/direct/3-in-10-retailers-unable-to-identify-customers-at-the-pos-20948/
3 http://blog.limelight.com/2013/02/how-are-you-adapting-your-marketing-to-mobile/
4 O’Connell et al. (2013, August). Solving The Cross-Platform Targeting Riddle. http://acxiom.com/solving-cross-platform-targeting-riddle/
5 Marshall J. (2014, January 15). WTF is a data management platform?. http://digiday.com/platforms/what-is-a-dmp-data-management-platform/
6 Grenville A. (2013, December 4). Privacy and big data on a collision course. http://www.visioncritical.com/blog/big-data-collection-and-privacy-concerns
Labels:
#,
Analytics,
CMS,
cookie,
Cookies,
cross-platform,
customer,
device,
DMP,
fingerprinting,
identification,
identity,
Marketing,
mobile,
PCC,
PII,
platform,
Privacy,
Segmentation
The Piracy of Your Privacy
Privacy on the Internet has become non-existent in the
digital age. Your digital footprint is
tracked and analyzed by various marketing firms all vying for your
attention. They have found ways to
weasel into your computer, tablet, phone, and other Internet-connected
devices. They know every website you
visit, how long you were there, what you did there, how long you were there, how
you got there, and even where you are signing in from. Nothing is secret anymore, so be mindful of
the information that you send to cyberspace.
Web browsers like
Google Chrome have found a sneaky way to track all of your digital movements
across all devices. They ask you to sign
in. This act allows Google to keep a
history of all of your movements on all devices. The “Stay Signed In” checkbox on the login
page keeps this action further from the user’s mind because they do not have to
sign in each time they open Chrome.

Chrome is also able to combine all of your Google
services. Like the slogan on the page
says, “One account. All of Google.” This means that they know of all of the
Google Apps you are using and how you are using them.
According to PC Mag, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
issued an advisory on Web tracking of customers. Chrome was one of many browsers to enable
features that protect their users from advertisers. They also have an Incognito Mode that allows
users to move around the Web without leaving a footprint behind.1 While these options allow a user their
privacy, most users are not aware that they exist or understand their
purpose.
Further actions
have been taken in the industry with the creation of websites such as donottrack.us.2
which allows users to opt out of tracking by websites that they do not
personally visit. However, a Wall Street
Journal Investigation found that the top 50 websites in the United States
install an average of 64 individual trackers to visitor computers.3
These trackers are often fast and invisible.
Even though this article was written in 2010, it is not hard to imagine
that tracking software changes as fast as its governing laws do.
Why do companies want to stay ahead of governance? NBC News reports that is because online data
has been transformed into a lucrative marketplace. Information is being sold to the highest
bidder. This information includes names,
addresses, phone numbers, and credit card numbers, which are being traded out
in the open.4 This continues
to be a growing concern among consumers.
According to a study performed by the Pew Research Center, fifty percent
of Internet users are worried about the information about them online, compared
to thirty three percent in 2009. Of
those surveyed, eighty six percent of people have tried at least one technique
to hide their activity online or avoid being tracked.5 The study also found that 68 percent of
people feel that the law is insufficient to protect their privacy.
Causes of Privacy Loss:
- People are providing too much information on social network sites and email.
- E-Commerce sites are better able to hide their tracking
- Security breaches of E-Commerce websites
- Password Protection – California feels that security breach laws should also protect passwords, usernames, and security questions. Hackers for popular social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Yahoo stole nearly two million usernames and passwords.
- Do Not Track – While current legislation does not ban tracking, the new legislation requires companies to disclose how they comply with requests from Internet users who ask not to be tracked.
- The Teen “Eraser” Law – Requires all website and mobile app operators to provide a way for those under 18 to delete a posting or photo. The reasoning is to protect those under 18 from publically sharing “ill-advised pictures or messages”.
Works Cited
1. Muchmore,
Michael. "Google Chrome 31." PCMAG.
PC Mag, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
2. Mayer,
Jonathan, and Arvind Narayanan. "Do Not Track." - Universal Web Tracking Opt Out.
Center for Internet and Society, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
3. Butler,
Christopher. "Unlimited vs. Limited Web Tracking." Tracking Best Practices.
Newfangled, 01 Sept. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
4. Sullivan,
Bob. "Online Privacy Fears Are Real." Msnbc.com. NBC News, 6 Dec.
2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
5. Flaherty,
Anne. "Study Finds Online Privacy Concerns on the Rise." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 05 Sept.
2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
6. Prah,
Pamela M. "Target's Data Breach Highlights State Role in Privacy." USA Today. Gannett, 10 Feb.
2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
Monday, February 17, 2014
An Update on Do Not Track and Privacy
In his January 2013 post to the
Digital Analytics - University of Utah course blog, McCall Lewis wrote about
the ongoing debate surrounding online consumer privacy and efforts towards a
standard for "Do Not Track" [i].
McCall correctly stated that 2013 would be the year that these issues
came to the consciousness of the consumer at-large. In this post, I intend to
explore the ongoing saga of Digital Privacy and how consumers and online
entities are reacting.
Digital Privacy in
2013, In a Nutshell (Help! I'm in in a
nutshell!)
It is safe to say that by the close
of 2013, no American was completely isolated from developments in the world of
digital privacy. This was the year of
Edward Snowden and Wikileaks, which exposed such government spying programs as
PRISM, Tempora, and MUSCULAR [ii]. If
people were not previously concerned with the monitoring of their internet
behavior, it is hard to believe that they were not starting to think about
it. Most relevant to Digital Analytics
is the allegation that the NSA was using cookies to piggyback on the tools that
digital advertising firms were using to "pinpoint targets for government
hacking and to bolster surveillance".
Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft announced plans to encrypt traffic between
their data centers, with Microsoft indirectly comparing the threat to that of
Chinese government-sponsored hacking [iii].
Beyond allegations of government
spying, other news events triggered a growing concern for digital privacy
amongst citizens. It was revealed that
Google, despite their unofficial corporate motto being "Don't be
evil", was collecting and storing data on WiFi networks while driving the
avenues and boulevards in their mapping vehicles [iv]. Inadvertent or not, this revelation made big
headlines in the year of Digital Privacy concerns. Beyond government and corporate spying, there
were a number of black-hat news stories as well. Major retailers such as Target and Neiman
Marcus were victims large-scale data breaches in which personal and credit card
information were stolen from their servers.
While nothing connected to a network is ever totally secure, some of the
details surrounding these breaches made it clear that retailers were not doing
everything that they could to protect this sensitive data. In this particular
case, the suspected security snafu source was an HVAC contractor that was given
the keys to the castle, which were thusly compromised [v].
Current Sentiment
Not surprisingly, there have been
numerous studies trying to suss out what the consumer reaction is to all of
this. A University of Vienna focused on the act of "Virtual Identity
Suicide" within the online social networking site Facebook. The single biggest cause for this phenomenon,
where a user deletes as much of their content as possible before permanently
locking themselves out of their account, were concerns over privacy. Among users studied, over 48% expressed this
viewpoint [vi]. It turns out, they have a right to be concerned. Austrian law
student Max Schrems found out, in 2010, that Facebook had over 1,200 pages of
data on him alone. This included data that
he had never been supplied, but had been linked to him through his friends
contact list. As big-data analytics gets
more powerful, this could translate into an enormous amount of personal
information being available to online companies [vii].
Using information like Facebook
collects, identification of protected classes is not only possible, but on the
verge of child's play. The Center for
Digital Democracy is making efforts to address its concerns to the FTC. They state that technologies such as
hyper-local targeting, geo-fencing, and cross-platform targeting will allow for
rampant discrimination. The sorts of
questions that it is illegal for employers to ask (age, marital status, sexual
orientation) will become easily attainable information [viii].
TrustE, a digital privacy
management company, conducted a study regarding consumer opinions about Online
Behavioral Advertising recently [ix].
They found that 69% of internet users understood the value trade-off of
online ads versus free content, but only 26% are willing to actually accept the
same. It seems as though most internet
users feel powerless in the process that they need to just accept what is
offered. The study also showed that 62%
of users would be more willing to do business with a company that allowed them
to opt-out of targeting.
Ongoing Efforts
The WC3 is spearheading a Do-Not-Track
and privacy working group, but things are not going as well as could be
hoped. One of the biggest internet
watchdog and lobbying organizations, the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation),
has lost confidence in the group [x].
They have directly stated that if the group continues in the direction
that it is currently headed, that they may be forced to drop out. Another watchdog group has a similar
stance. Jeffrey Chester, of the Center
for Digital Democracy as called the efforts of the group "a farce". It appears as though the group cannot even
get the definition of tracking nailed down.
Are they concerned with 1st party cookies, 3rd party cookies, or other
methods of data collection? Original
efforts in the Do-Not-Track space only targeted 3rd party cookie based ads,
providing a guise of privacy to the relatively uneducated user.
It is unclear what the future may
bring in terms of digital privacy, but it is doubtful that it will continue to
be as unregulated as it currently is.
The European Union is enacting tough laws, requiring explicit consent in
some areas, rather than the arguably implicit consent given by endless EULAs
and TOCs that no one actually reads. If
the FTC gets involved in the United States, things are likely to change.
[i] Lewis, McCall ‘The “Do Not Track” Debate’ Digital
Analytics – University of Utah, January 26, 2013.
http://dauofu.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-do-not-track-debate.html
[ii] Wikipedia contributors, "Edward Snowden,"
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Snowden&oldid=595457266
(accessed February 5, 2014).
[iii] Wikipedia contributors, "MUSCULAR (surveillance
program)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MUSCULAR_(surveillance_program)&oldid=595197410
(accessed February 5, 2014).
[iv] “Street View: Google given 35 days to delete wi-fi
data”, from BBC News: Technology, June 21, 2013.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23002166
[v] Feinberg, Ashley “Last Month's Massive Target Hack Was
the Heating Guy's Fault” Gizmodo, February 5, 2014.
http://gizmodo.com/last-months-massive-target-hack-was-the-heating-guys-1516926877
[vi] Munson, Lee “Half of Facebook-quitters leave over
privacy concerns” NakedSecurity, September 18, 2013.
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2013/09/18/half-of-facebook-quitters-leave-over-privacy-concerns/
[vii] Solon, Olivia “How much data did Facebook have on one
man? 1,200 pages of data in 57 categories” Wired.co.uk, December 28, 2012.
http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/12/start/privacy-versus-facebook
[viii] Submitted by demedia, “CDD Calls on FTC to Protect
Privacy in today's Hyper-local, geo-targeting, cross-platform, Big Data
Era/Warns of Discriminatory Practices with mobile device tracking”, Center for
Digital Democracy, February 6, 2014.
http://www.democraticmedia.org/cdd-calls-ftc-protect-privacy-todays-hyper-local-geo-targeting-cross-platform-big-data-erawarns-disc
[ix] Deasy, Dave “TRUSTe Study Reveals Increased
Transparency and Privacy Controls Produce More Positive Feelings about OBA”
TrustE Blog, September 19, 2013.
https://www.truste.com/blog/2013/09/19/truste-study-reveals-increased-transparency-and-privacy-controls-produce-more-positive-feelings-about-oba/
[x] Fung, Brian “The Internet’s best hope for a Do Not Track
standard is falling apart. Here’s why.” The Washington Post Online, The Switch,
October 11, 2013.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/10/11/the-internets-best-hope-for-a-do-not-track-standard-is-falling-apart-heres-why/
Labels:
Digital Analytics,
Do-Not-Track,
EFF,
google,
Privacy,
Target
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Internet/Mobile Privacy and Anonymity: I don’t think so
Privacy is a myth
Many years
before most companies and consumers were even aware of cookies, spyware, and
other internet privacy issues, governments and technology firms were developing
methods to use this information in the name of national security and monetary
gain. Over time those methods of have
become increasingly sophisticated. The
scope and reach has grown so broad that it begs the question does anyone truly
have privacy anymore?
The following video
clip discusses the recent infiltration by hackers into some of the largest
retailers in the United States in a successful effort to collect personal and
financial data. The clip also provides
some tips to consumers on how to better protect their personal data. While taking these additional steps can
certainly reduce risk, do they really keep your personal information protected?
As
technology has evolved, Privacy Laws [1]
have been updated to encompass more scenarios that warrant action to prevent
violations of privacy. However, it has
been consistently demonstrated over the years that there are always groups (private
corporations, governments, hackers, etc.) who are comfortable breaking these
laws. For the moment let’s ignore the
legality and morality of these issues and focus on the capabilities.
Is there anything they can’t see?
Many governments
are currently deploying software that is [2]
“…capable of stealing documents from hard drives, snooping on video chats,
reading e-mails, snatching contact lists and remotely flipping on cameras and
microphones so they can quietly spy on a computer’s unwitting user.” With the advancement of wireless phone
technology, these same capabilities exist in that arena as well. While you may be thinking this only happens
to people who have something to hide, you may want to keep reading.
Another
example demonstrating just how far governments are taking this technology comes
from Edward Snowden, a former member of the CIA and NSA, who has disclosed a
large number of top secret documents detailing the ability of various
governments to spy on private citizens.
One document [3]
shows how Canada’s electronic spy agency, Communications Security Establishment
Canada, used the airport Wi-Fi to, “track
the wireless devices of thousands of ordinary airline passengers for days after
they left the terminal.” This document
further indicates that, “The Federal agency was then able to track the
travelers for a week or more as they – and their wireless devices – showed up
in other Wi-Fi ‘hot spots’ in cities across Canada and even at U.S. airports.” Using the same methodology they could also
track where those people had been prior to their arrival at the airport.
Think about
the number of places that have “hot spots” and you can quickly see that there
is a large grid constantly collecting metadata for every person with a Wi-Fi
enabled tablet, wireless phone or laptop.
This data provides a relatively detailed view of your individual social
patterns and eliminates the privacy (which is really only a perceived privacy
at this point) that many people value.
Sleep with one eye open
While this degree
of data collection and use is currently a government initiative to help
maintain national security and provide local law enforcement an edge on crime,
this could easily become a powerful segmentation and marketing tool in the hands
of private corporations. With so many
firms collecting and dealing in “big data” across the world, it is likely just
a matter of time before this information is readily available to all companies
for a price. In either case, if you are
high-profile target or a private citizen with nothing to hide, your data is
being collected and has been for some time now.
The power to watch you, listen to you, and track your movements is a
reality. Consider that the next time you
are walking through the airport, eating at McDonald’s, enjoying your morning
Starbucks, or just surfing the web at home.
[4] (Still Image) http://owni.eu/2011/05/12/e-spying-state-sponsored-intrusion/
[5] (Video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIh1K6MU5vs
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Have We Seen the Death of Online Privacy?
There are moral and ethical issues
concerning online privacy. Make no mistake about it: in this new digital era, we
live in a state of constant surveillance. There are hundreds of advertising
and tracking companies that follow everything we do online. The articles we
read, the videos we watch, the sites we visit, and the social comments we make
are all being tracked and analyzed. For this reason, nearly every person with a
computer should be thinking about how to protect his or her sensitive
information.
Times Have Changed
![]() |
| Online Privacy |
In the early days of the Internet, users
could hide under fake names or nicknames. Most people didn’t enter their actual
location because there were “creepy people” out there in cyberspace that you
were “supposed to hide from.” Along came Facebook, which wasn’t interested in
your nickname. Instead, it wanted your real name and birthdate. Twitter soon
followed suit. Google has shared
pretty much everything you’ve ever told one of its services with the rest
of the Google product family. If you add cookies, IP addresses, tracking
share buttons, and location-based sharing to the mix, it’s a wonder “creepy
people” haven’t found you yet.
With
the current stage of the digital realm, you can’t tweet about your life, check
in, write a controversial blog, or run a web business and still expect privacy.
You can only hope to contain it. However, someone is eventually going to Google
you, and Google is eventually going to help tie all the information together.
You have to prepare for and make peace with your digital life being “out there”
and understand that you might have to deal with the possible consequences of
someone finding it.
Privacy in the digital age means a
lot of things to a lot of people. Some people fret about the privacy controls
on social networks, some worry about the companies that track their online
behavior, and others are concerned about government surveillance. But, the
private and/or public discussion to date has focused almost exclusively on
privacy and worry. New technologies that cause disruption have often led to
collective concern about privacy.
Privacy and the Emergence of “Big Data”
![]() |
| Always Watching You |
One
of these new privacy-disruptive technologies is Big Data. With companies competing
to acquire and analyze data at an astonishing pace, this new world of data
collection is able to help build insights into Internet-user behavior. This
deep analysis mines even the most personal information associated with user
actions. Big Data can assemble this information into an intimate picture of the
people it relies on for raw data.
Google searches, Facebook posts,
YouTube videos, Pinterest posts, and Twitter messages, for example, make it possible to measure behavior in fine detail - sometimes even as it happens. Big Data is how Target's Guest Relations Analytics accidentally
revealed a teenaged girl was pregnant to her father. The store's data
collectors used information about her purchasing habits to predict her
pregnancy - even though she did not explicitly reveal the information to Target
or to her parents. With this newly mined data, Target sent her a pamphlet about
upcoming parenthood. This pointed information revealed the undisclosed
pregnancy to her shocked and uninformed parents.
![]() |
| Big Data Infographic |
Because of cases like this, it
would be naive to think targeted ads aren't already happening and not to
expect continued increases in targeted advertising. These sites will turn to
their valuable data to boost revenue. The price of storing and analyzing data
is also dropping exponentially and keeping that data hidden is a hopeless
task. With advertisers demanding more targeted ads, the mining of personal data
to pinpoint consumer desires is quickly becoming more rampant.
This online data can be combined
with offline data like our voting record, employment history, and marriage
licenses to build an extremely detailed profile. Companies like Facebook
already scan
the contents of photos and private messages for Homeland Security “risk
words” like “infection,” “body scanner,” or “hacker” and turn them over to
law enforcement. Even if you delete your embarrassing Facebook posts, companies
like Social Intelligence sell the past 7
years of your posts. The wireless companies you pay for mobile service turn
over 1.3
million customer records to law enforcement each year - which include texts
and your phone’s GPS location.
Steps to Protect Online Privacy
![]() |
| Online Data Privacy |
Although it may seem daunting, there are steps
that can be taken to minimize the depletion of your online privacy. A few
of these steps include enabling private browsing, creating
a “clean” email as well as a separate “spam” email address, examining the
privacy policy of sites you agree to use, and managing what personal
information you’re posting online. For most users, these are extra steps are viewed as unnecessary. However, if you’re interested in maintaining some
semblance of privacy online, these steps are necessary. Otherwise, it would be
prudent to realize that most of what you do online can – in many ways – be
considered to be publicly accessible information.
Embrace and Adapt to the Changes
The dirty secret of the Web is that
the "free" content and services which consumers enjoy come with a
hidden price - revealing consumers own private data. Online advertising constantly fights against
anonymity and pseudonymity. Advertisers are continuously trying to learn everything
about web users, to unmask them, and peel away layers of demographic info,
interests, and behaviors. For the most part, we've adjusted to this shift in
the new technology era. The sooner we realize we are better off learning to
manage our privacy than fight against the lack of it, the sooner we can get
back to enjoying the internet. There will always be emerging changes. As we
have in the past, we will continue to adjust and adapt.
For more information on Online Privacy check out the links
below:
Podcast: The
Privacy Blog Podcast – Ep.7: Blacklisted SSL Certificates, Social Media
Hacking, and the “Right to be Forgotten” Online
Video: Will we
care about online privacy in 20 years?
Video: Find and
Fix Holes in Your Online Privacy - Tekzilla Daily Tip
Infographic: Facebook,
Google and the death of online privacy -
References:
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