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online tracking


They Know Where You Are and What You Just Bought: Online Tracking Debated at Consumer Electronics Show

Posted on Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 by

What are the boundaries for collecting personal data and information for marketing purposes?

Today in Las Vegas, at the Consumer Electronics Show, two leaders from the Future of Privacy Forum will be on a panel discussion that explores the boundaries for collecting such personal information.

As consumers, we’ve almost come to expect an extreme amount of online tracking. But the Future of Privacy speakers will point out some interesting inconsistencies with those attitudes. For example, the grocer who bombards shoppers with questions about other lifestyle choices (e.g., where they vacationed, what movies they recently viewed, what books they read, where their children attend college) does breach norms of appropriateness.

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Ask the Expert: Where do Obama and Romney Stand on Internet Policy and Online Privacy?

Posted on Monday, November 5th, 2012 by

Q: “With all the political noise out there this campaign season, I haven’t heard where both presidential candidates stand regarding Internet policy and online privacy. Since I believe this is such an important topic, can you fill us in?”

A: You would think that with as much money and hot air that is being put out there by both candidates that they would spend a bit of time detailing their Internet and online privacy policies. There is a significant difference between them.

No matter which way you intend to vote tomorrow, it’s important that you understand these differences, since they could have a significant impact on you and our country as a whole. Read More

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Cookies and Politics: Are Political Campaigns Tracking You?

Posted on Monday, October 29th, 2012 by

Have you ever wondered whether political parties are placing tracking cookies on your computer when you visit their websites?

This worries me, because I don’t want to be tracked by anyone, so I dug deeper to find out what exactly they are tracking.

As you probably know by now, online advertisers place cookies on your computer so they can track which websites you visit. Based on the websites you visit, they serve you relevant ads.

Political parties use similar tracking cookies in an effort to help sway your vote. So yes, you are being tracked by one or both campaigns if you visit their websites and do not employ cookie-blocker software.

It’s called data mining, and it’s a multi-billion dollar industry that most people don’t even know is happening. And advertisers, as well as the political campaigns, want to keep it that way.

Let’s take a look at how and why they do it.

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Ask the Expert: Does Facebook Make Money Off Of What Happens On My Smartphone?

Posted on Monday, September 3rd, 2012 by

Ask the Expert: Does Facebook Make Money Off Of What Happens On My Smartphone?

Facebook seems like it is counting on the fact that you can’t tell the difference between “sponsored stories” and “sponsored” newsfeed posts, and that you won’t remember if you liked a product or company or not.

Right now, Facebook makes over $3 billion a year on advertising, but they’re always looking for ways to make more. How much do they need? Apparently, more than that. Read on for more details.

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What Does the NSA Know About You?

Posted on Monday, August 27th, 2012 by

The New York Times recently published an astonishing article that detailed how the NSA is busy compiling vast amounts of information about U.S. citizens.

While most people have heard about the NSA and the Patriot Act, what is truly frightening is how little oversight this program has, and also how few people, including politicians, seem to know about it.

Have we entered an Orwellian state and simply not gotten the memo? Read on to find out more. Read More

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Google Fined $22 Million for Disregarding Browser Privacy Settings

Posted on Monday, August 20th, 2012 by

Did anyone else catch the very busy Twitter chat about the FTC’s fine against Google?

It can be found by using the #FTCpriv hashtag, and the chat centered on the Federal Trade Commission’s $22.5 million fine to settle charges that Google circumvented privacy settings in Apple’s Safari browser.

While some privacy advocates are excited by the ruling, others say that it amounts to a little more than a slap on the wrist. Read More

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Mobile Emergency: 1.3 Million Cell Phone Spies

Posted on Monday, July 16th, 2012 by

Less than two months ago, we published an article detailing how cell phone companies routinely sell your personal cell phone data to local and federal law enforcement without a warrant or any oversight at all.

Well, according to an article recently published in the New York Times by Eric Lichtblau, it looks like the problem is actually much worse than anyone knew. Not only did law enforcement routinely ask cell phone carriers for personal cell phone data, they made (at least) 1.3 million requests just last year alone. Read More

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Acxiom and Database Marketing: Learn About ‘Big Brother’ on Steroids and How to Opt Out

Posted on Monday, June 25th, 2012 by

Have you ever heard of a company called Acxiom? If you’re like most Americans, probably not. But while you may not know much about Acxiom, they sure know a lot about you.

Acxiom knows more about you than the IRS, FBI, Facebook, and Google. It’s likely that they know your age, race, sex, marital status, education background, political leanings, household income, and much more.

Forrester Research once said Acxiom — headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas — “demonstrated surprising nimbleness in modernizing its offering and arguably leads the industry with its digital solutions,” but what does this $1.15 billion-a-year company do behind the scenes?

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The Shady World of Data Brokers: How to Remove Your Sensitive Information From Their Databases

Posted on Monday, May 14th, 2012 by

Did you know that there is an entire industry devoted to buying and selling your personal information?

This includes your current and past addresses, your age, the names of your neighbors, and your purchase history, among other things.

The companies that compile and sell this information are called data brokers. It is a huge industry, but most people don’t even know that it exists. And data brokers would like to keep it that way. Read More

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Ask the Expert: What You Should Know About Google’s New Privacy Policies

Posted on Monday, March 5th, 2012 by

Google’s new privacy policy changes have many privacy advocates up in arms. It begs the question: does our personal information belong to us or the corporations that collect it? Instead of being forced to adhere to these data collection rules in order to use a popular product, shouldn’t we insist that companies give us the option to allow or deny them permission to track and store our personal information? What happens if hackers get ahold of this information?

Read on for more information about Google’s new privacy policies. Read More

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