Data, Data Everywhere but Not a Bit to Use
Reading with interest this article on the front page of NYT – To Aim Ads, Web Is Keeping Closer Eye on You. The article is about large Web companies learning more about people than ever from what they search for and do on the Internet.
I’m glad that this has got on the front page…I have been protesting for a long time.
As an individual in the WWW, I don’t see any easy way of using my “user behavior data” to better serve myself. Simply, I’m frustrated that I do not own data about ME.
I quote below interesting numbers from the article:
It’s no secret that large Web companies are gathering user data to analyze our behavior. But the point is these data are now “owned” by a few Web companies, and they are using computer algorithms to, like what the article say:
gathering clues about the tastes and preferences of a typical user several hundred times a month. These companies use that information to predict what content and advertisements people most likely want to see. They can charge steep prices for carefully tailored ads because of their high response rates.
It is clear that in the near future, techniques for analyzing online data will be increasingly sophisticated. My bet is that one area that has been overlooked and where there are tremendous incentives for developing innovative technologies — catering  to the average consumers, companies and their customers to understand and analyze their data.Â
OK, we exchange our private information to get a bit of better of service in the World Wide Web e.g. faster and better search results etc. Â
But isn’t it time that we as consumers be empowered to “use” and “own” our behavior data?
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