#2 Privacy Online, Who's Watching?

Although I am aware of the big concerns regarding the use of the internet threatening our sense of privacy and I've heard all the horror stories of stolen identities and fraud, I somehow still feel safe within using my online platforms. I tend to spend hours a day emerged behind the screen of my laptop and phone searching the web daily, however I feel protected behind the safety of my Apple devices because in a way, my online life seems separate from my reality. Now that I have taken a deeper exploration into this topic, I understand that these two lives are completely connected and I am aware that I need to take more measures to protect my privacy online.

Although I usually use the internet autonomously and place trust the websites I visit, I am always reminded of the constant online surveillance whenever a Google or Facebook ad appears that is tailored to my previous searches and website visits. If I had been online shopping looking at clothes, the items added to my shopping cart will appear in an Instagram ad, or after I search accomodation in New York City, an array of airfare deals to the US will take over my Facebook scroll. This alarming process is called Ad Tracking or Retargeting, and occurs when online sights use your personal web browsing history to use as advertising tailored to your preferences for greater marketing accuracy, (Advertising Age, 2014). In June 2016, Google deleted a clause from its privacy settings that stated they would not combine cookie information with personal information without consent. To opt out, go to activity controls and untick the box marked “Include Chrome browsing history and activity from websites and apps that use Google services".

Paul Ohm from Georgetown University Center on Privacy and Technology stated, “It was a border wall between being watched everywhere and maintaining a tiny semblance of privacy. That wall has just fallen", (Privacy News Online, 2016).

Below is a short clip from the 2002 science fiction film Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg. Although made years ago, the film predicted the future of communication technologies where personalised advertising exists. This scene in the movie takes it one step further from our current technologies, and uses facial recognition cameras to place these adverts everywhere, not just within our devices.

How Retargeting Through Facebook Exchange Works

Image Source: http://marketingland.com/infographic-retargeting-facebook-exchange-57193

Reference List:

Goodwin, T. (2014). Retargeting Is Flawed; the Future Is Pretargeting. [online] Advertising Age. Available at: http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/retargeting-flawed-future-pretargeting/294113/ [Accessed 14 Jul. 2017].

Privacy Online News. (2016). Google is now tracking your private, personally identifiable information from all sources possible. [online] Available at: https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2016/10/google-now-tracking-private-personally-identifiable-information-sources-possible-ie-gmail-chrome-doubleclick-default/ [Accessed 14 Jul. 2017].