Whether you know it or not and whether you like it or not, companies are tracking your information. They are selling it for a profit and using it to understand more about how to control the average mind in order to make even more money. I know some of you are already breaking out the tinfoil hats for me, but the fact is that this isn't a theory anymore. It's an undisputed fact that companies like Facebook readily admit. After the break I have some disturbing articles in addition to a link to a Firefox add-on that quickly and easily makes it much harder for companies to track your browsing habits. I have also included links to a couple of search engines that don't track your information the way that Google does.
This is the new society, people. It doesn't matter how insignificant you think you are or how crazy this sounds to you. You are being used.
Articles:
http://lifehacker.com/5843969/facebook-is-tracking-your-every-move-on-the-web-heres-how-to-stop-it
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?_r=3&partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig
Firefox addon:
https://www.requestpolicy.com/
Search Engines:
https://duckduckgo.com/
https://www.startpage.com/
Like ads, I view tracking as a necessary part of using the internet. We don't pay for sites like Facebook, so in order to make a profit they have to have ads and sell information. I would be more concerned if I was paying for their service with my cash, but instead I will pay for their service with my information. I can understand how some would see it as a breach of their privacy, but I'm not bothered by it.
ReplyDeleteHere's what Hank Green has to say about the topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_SVd927h0I
What bothers me about it is how surreptitiously they go about it and the -very- stretched liberties they take with getting that information. I am very tinfoil hat about this and I don't expect everyone to share my opinion. I currently think that it is relatively harmless, but what I worry about is the future. The trend of moving towards selling information about people directly (usually without being transparent about how, when and why it is happening) is a troubling one. I don't know what exactly it portends but it scares the hell out of me.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I forgot to say this, but I do turn off adblock and RequestPolicy on sites that I want to support. I know that I'm not exactly "contributing" to the internet economy so I do that for sites like Penny Arcade or 4chan.
DeleteI do agree the shadowy way it goes down is something to keep an eye on. It's definitely something I am conscientious of, but I feel this is one of those things where I just have to watch and see what happens. If shit starts getting bad, then I'll take a firmer stand on it.
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