Comments on: The BIG Privacy Issue…Part One of Two http://www.blumblog.com/behavioral-targeting/the-big-privacy-issuepart-one-of-two/ Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:02:35 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: jean miller http://www.blumblog.com/behavioral-targeting/the-big-privacy-issuepart-one-of-two/comment-page-1/#comment-57 jean miller Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:02:35 +0000 http://www.blumblog.com/?p=35#comment-57 i think the analogy to tv as a "free" service is an interesting one, and probably when tv first became widespread people worried about it coming into their homes. but of course we can watch what we want without being monitored (unless it's cable and we have to pay for it). one aspect of the concern for me as a consumer comes not so much from being tracked by someone trying to sell me something, but the extent that might be shared with the government. given the current political climate, what list might i be put on because i go online to a politically progressive magazine site? are these being monitored somehow so that any of us who go there will be tagged? i don't care so much if somebody knows i'm buying shoes from zappos, or even what kinds of shoes i buy. what if i'm a young girl looking for abortion services? who has access to that information? privacy is such a complex issue. back in the day we used to say "The Personal is Political." it's still true today. i think the analogy to tv as a “free” service is an interesting one, and probably when tv first became widespread people worried about it coming into their homes. but of course we can watch what we want without being monitored (unless it’s cable and we have to pay for it).

one aspect of the concern for me as a consumer comes not so much from being tracked by someone trying to sell me something, but the extent that might be shared with the government. given the current political climate, what list might i be put on because i go online to a politically progressive magazine site? are these being monitored somehow so that any of us who go there will be tagged?

i don’t care so much if somebody knows i’m buying shoes from zappos, or even what kinds of shoes i buy. what if i’m a young girl looking for abortion services? who has access to that information?

privacy is such a complex issue. back in the day we used to say “The Personal is Political.” it’s still true today.

]]> By: Bernard Meisler http://www.blumblog.com/behavioral-targeting/the-big-privacy-issuepart-one-of-two/comment-page-1/#comment-55 Bernard Meisler Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:11:47 +0000 http://www.blumblog.com/?p=35#comment-55 Reading the NYT online, for free, and being advertised at is roughly equivalent to watching "free" TV, paid for by commercials. Having your online browsing (and other personal info) tracked, traded and sold, is roughly equivalent, IMHO, to granting access to your library lending habits, an egregious loss of privacy pushed through in the middle of the night, buried in the USA Patriot Act. Libraries, how quaint... Reading the NYT online, for free, and being advertised at is roughly equivalent to watching “free” TV, paid for by commercials. Having your online browsing (and other personal info) tracked, traded and sold, is roughly equivalent, IMHO, to granting access to your library lending habits, an egregious loss of privacy pushed through in the middle of the night, buried in the USA Patriot Act. Libraries, how quaint…

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