It's a subject getting a lot of air time in the media at the moment. For the most part, they're focusing on the benefits of creating revenue from advertising space that directly hits it's target market versus the argument that this is a cynical infringement of the right to privacy- with databases of information being stored on people feeling more and more like Big Brother looming down over us.
However, I am wondering how long before people really start to see the problems of the practicalities of it, and the potential law suits that can emerge....
What about the many situations where this 'targeted advertising' may cause problems in scenarios where it is a SHARED computer.... Lets face it, there's a lot of family computers out there, and in todays financial climate, not many can afford to splash out on a personal computer for every member of a household.
Forget about shopping online for a 'secret' birthday present.
Say for example you live in a University flat share and you suddenly notice ads for treatment creams for STD's popping up around your Facebook page.... is sensitive information like that really information you want to know about your flatmate? Would you be looking at a live-in partner with suspicion? What about the poor unwitting person who had been looking into their health on the internet?
Or what about the wife who sees there's an increase in the amount of ads for 'Singles' and 'Dating' websites and she gets to wonder what sites her husband frequents when she's not around?
Or what about the employee that gets exposed for looking at job websites while at work, because his manager walked past his desk in time to see a huge job advert banner float across the top of the innocent page he had open?
Or what about situations where someones safety is at risk? A woman looking for advice on domestic abuse, ends up alerting her abusive partner to the fact that she has been seeking advice, in the form of some cynical ads in the sidebar?
Just a thought.... :-/
Say for example you live in a University flat share and you suddenly notice ads for treatment creams for STD's popping up around your Facebook page.... is sensitive information like that really information you want to know about your flatmate? Would you be looking at a live-in partner with suspicion? What about the poor unwitting person who had been looking into their health on the internet?
Or what about the wife who sees there's an increase in the amount of ads for 'Singles' and 'Dating' websites and she gets to wonder what sites her husband frequents when she's not around?
Or what about the employee that gets exposed for looking at job websites while at work, because his manager walked past his desk in time to see a huge job advert banner float across the top of the innocent page he had open?
Or what about situations where someones safety is at risk? A woman looking for advice on domestic abuse, ends up alerting her abusive partner to the fact that she has been seeking advice, in the form of some cynical ads in the sidebar?
Just a thought.... :-/
No comments:
Post a Comment