Mar 25 2008
Another Threat to Online Privacy
While the Internet has done incredible things for society it is not without negative consequences. People get lured into a false sense of security and anonymity on the Internet. Every time you go on the Internet you leave a trail of where you have been and where you are going. What terms are you searching for, what web sites you visit. For a marketer this is a goldmine.
Here is just one scenario. Imagine you search for the term “newborn” and visit a few sites. A few days later a packet arrives in your mailbox with coupons for diapers and formula. This is just one non-threatening example but the possibilities are endless.
I recently read an article in the New York Times titled A Company Promises the Deepest Data Mining Yet by Louise Story. The title alone made me cringe. The article goes on to say
“Amid debate over how much data companies like Google and Yahoo should gather about people who surf the Web, one new company is drawing attention — and controversy — by boasting that it will collect the most complete information of all.”
“The company, called Phorm, has created a tool that can track every single online action of a given consumer, based on data from that person’s Internet service provider. The trick for Phorm is to gain access to that data, and it is trying to negotiate deals with telephone and cable companies, like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, that provide broadband service to millions.”
If that is not bad enough in the interview the COO goes on to say with swagger
“As you browse, we’re able to categorize all of your Internet actions,” said Virasb Vahidi, the chief operating officer of Phorm. “We actually can see the entire Internet.”
The fact that I am in the Industry has left me with some serious doubts and concerns about my data. Data is such a nice term but when you boil it down it is my personal information. The companies that have this information have a responsibility to the consumer but need to answer to their shareholders and board members. Can we trust them to do the right thing and not sell our personal information?
If the past is a good predictor of the future we should all have our doubts.
