Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Privacy Paradox - Flawed to Perfection?

It isn't unusual for many girls to have tons of shoes [ and i'm not the exception ] so I typically find my self shopping online for specific shoes that I may like but my size was unavailable or they did not have the 
color or even styles that are online exclusive. What I find very interesting is that now EVERY website I go to such as Facebook that has space available for advertisements has only advertisements of shoes. Now these advertisements don't just have only any old pair of shoes, no, they have the all of my favorite brands and shoes that I usually like.


Now is this just one big coincidence? Of course not but how much is too much?
online privacyWebsites are now becoming more and more capable to see whether you will be a good customer or not without you even providing any information about yourself. They can track previous purchases, see what web sites you have search, and how often you search for them.


This works through cookies. Little breadcrumbs of information left behind for others to pickup. These bits of information helps make advertisements more relative you and your likings. Although it may seem like you are just sharing things you like it can be much more. You may unintentionally provide other information such as your IP address and other private information that if it was to get into the wrong hands, may potentially have some major damage.


Although there is a constant battle between us, our privacy, and the big bad wide web, maybe it isn't so bad. To be honest I have shopped and visited probably more then most and have not had any issues. Although my moves may be tracked, at least I am being constantly followed by advertisements that interest me.










References:
http://www.privatewifi.com/online-privacy-good-guys-and-bad-guys-part-1/
https://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs18-cyb.htm
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703748904575411530096840958.html