Many things become more complex when it comes to our quickly budding technology. Most of all, our civil liberties seem to be at stake, to be dramatic about it. There has been a lot of alluding toward the 1984 Big Brother when speaking about internet tracking and these infamous "cookies". But how real are these fears?
Being in the online advertising industry, it amazed me to learn of the other side of things. We track clicks, paths, buys, coupon prints, registrations, anything that can possibly be tracked. It's all used to infer consumers likes and dislikes and use it to show them things they don't even know they're looking for. It's to 'help' the consumer. Invasion of privacy? or marketing research? Basically its getting to know your audience. So - after seeing both sides of this, I thought, 'who cares if the internet knows that I like dell computer and serves me dell ads?'
Well then I had two incidents. Both involving social networks: Facebook and LinkedIn. Truthfully, being a subscriber to either of these networks really leaves you vulnerable to tmi being leaked out to basically anyone. One Sunday morning as I was adding movies to my Blockbuster online queue - I got a popup. The first time it went too quickly but I got a glimse of the Facebook font. I added another movie and this time, I read the popup informing everyone on Facebook that I added this movie to my queue. What the heck?! I like to be percieved as a low key Facebook patron (even though it is my guilty pleasure). The blockbuster account wasn't even under my name, it was under my fathers. This had to be stopped. I went to my facebook account and immediately blocked any incoming notifications from third party vendors. That was a close one.
Yesterday, I stumbled upon my barely used LinkedIn account. They like Facebook has a new section called "People you might know". On Facebook, it's understandable; they find people who have similar links to your friends. Makes sense and works well because on Facebook, your network is pretty extensive. Also considering the fact that college students on Facebook tend to have friends from their own college - people tend to know each other.
The LinkedIn network tends to skew more professional and with more variation. Also, lets not lie, i only have 25 "contacts" (see: friends), so my network isnt very big. Long story short, the 'people I might know' should be very limited to IBM and Binghamton.
The four people listed:
Steven - a cousin's cousin of which i am NOT connected with that cousin
Charlotte - My IBM friend's best friend, also of which i am NOT connected with
Debbie - A woman I spoke to a few times at an agency not related to IBM or Binghamton contacts
David - A guy I found on a school network and cold contacted - hence, no record of this on linked in.
The only thing that can link all of these people to me is my gmail account. I might have once gotten an email from Steven. I've spoken on gmail chat ABOUT charlotte. I spoke on Gchat with Debbie and wrote an email to David. There is an option in LinkedIn to import contact lists from Gmail, Yahoo and AOL, none of which I agreed to, but it seems they took the liberty to stalk me and find people 'I might know'.
Now i'm scared.
mL
Being in the online advertising industry, it amazed me to learn of the other side of things. We track clicks, paths, buys, coupon prints, registrations, anything that can possibly be tracked. It's all used to infer consumers likes and dislikes and use it to show them things they don't even know they're looking for. It's to 'help' the consumer. Invasion of privacy? or marketing research? Basically its getting to know your audience. So - after seeing both sides of this, I thought, 'who cares if the internet knows that I like dell computer and serves me dell ads?'
Well then I had two incidents. Both involving social networks: Facebook and LinkedIn. Truthfully, being a subscriber to either of these networks really leaves you vulnerable to tmi being leaked out to basically anyone. One Sunday morning as I was adding movies to my Blockbuster online queue - I got a popup. The first time it went too quickly but I got a glimse of the Facebook font. I added another movie and this time, I read the popup informing everyone on Facebook that I added this movie to my queue. What the heck?! I like to be percieved as a low key Facebook patron (even though it is my guilty pleasure). The blockbuster account wasn't even under my name, it was under my fathers. This had to be stopped. I went to my facebook account and immediately blocked any incoming notifications from third party vendors. That was a close one.
Yesterday, I stumbled upon my barely used LinkedIn account. They like Facebook has a new section called "People you might know". On Facebook, it's understandable; they find people who have similar links to your friends. Makes sense and works well because on Facebook, your network is pretty extensive. Also considering the fact that college students on Facebook tend to have friends from their own college - people tend to know each other.
The LinkedIn network tends to skew more professional and with more variation. Also, lets not lie, i only have 25 "contacts" (see: friends), so my network isnt very big. Long story short, the 'people I might know' should be very limited to IBM and Binghamton.
The four people listed:
Steven - a cousin's cousin of which i am NOT connected with that cousin
Charlotte - My IBM friend's best friend, also of which i am NOT connected with
Debbie - A woman I spoke to a few times at an agency not related to IBM or Binghamton contacts
David - A guy I found on a school network and cold contacted - hence, no record of this on linked in.
The only thing that can link all of these people to me is my gmail account. I might have once gotten an email from Steven. I've spoken on gmail chat ABOUT charlotte. I spoke on Gchat with Debbie and wrote an email to David. There is an option in LinkedIn to import contact lists from Gmail, Yahoo and AOL, none of which I agreed to, but it seems they took the liberty to stalk me and find people 'I might know'.
Now i'm scared.
mL
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