Most online companies track customer’s activities to create very specialized advertising. I agree with this procedure. It is the company’s service users are participating in, so they have the right to track statistics within their own service. The gathered statistics are never personal data that could potentially harm a user because there are laws against this. Therefore, it is not an invasion of privacy because the user is supplying the activity data. If a user doesn’t want to participate, they should be able to opt out.
Some people could perceive this to being a type of “Big Brother” surveillance. However, it’s worth it. In my opinion I like personalized ads because it is relevant to my interests. If the ad is not personalized to a customer, they won’t be interested in what it says. Therefore, the ad will not generate income and the service will cease to exist. I find internet services very productive and efficient. If a company must generate revenue from online advertising, then so be it. However, companies should find unique ways in approaching online advertising because most ads are still ineffective or just plain annoying.
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You touch on a number of interesting points here - but, of course, part of the problem is that right now, users generally DON'T have the ability to opt out of such tracking. And, many users aren't even aware that their information is being tracked. Do you think a law should be enacted that users should be able to opt-out? Or at least be informed that their activity is being tracked?
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is companies should respect their users by offering tracking settings and advertise that their activity is being tracked. I believe that a law or regulation should be enacted to provide users with tracking options analogous to privacy settings. In the end, it is simply data we are sharing, so wouldn't this also fall under a privacy issue? It seems there is inconsistency.
ReplyDeleteUsers should be aware that not sharing online activity can potentially hurt the online service. Companies use online statistics to better their services for their users.
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