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?
Websites 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
I agree with you. Although it may seem as if we have no privacy and like we are always being watched, there are many cases where it benefits us. Sure, ads may get annoying sometimes, but i'd rather be looking at an ad for things that interest me instead of some random ad taking up space on my screen. However, I do fear unintentionally giving my IP address or other private information to the wrong hands. Not having privacy is just a risk we have to take when we use the internet. Good post.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you Alissa and Marc. I definitely believe that the Internet watches us. The Internet knows every single detail of us when we are online. Although we must be aware that we are releasing tons of information by going online, we should know that if we are careful, we might be able to save ourselves from bad things. Of course no one is safe 100%, but we might be able to avoid trouble if we handle the Internet with care. As long as we don't release too much of our personal information, we can be kind of safe.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct I always think to myself how does Facebook know exactly what i like. What, I would buy? Great post. I think we all have some danger posting our life on the internet but as long as we don't let to much information out I believe we'll be fine.
ReplyDelete