Anyone else get slightly freaked out when they think about the amount of data there is about you out there on the internet? Because I do.
We are constantly leaving traces of information about us wherever we go online and with the use of cookies, companies are able to use this to their advantage for advertising purposes. Companies can now use this data to compile an online profile of you by looking at your tastes, preferences, purchasing habits and location. By doing this businesses can tailor marketing accordingly and target people who are most likely to be interested in their product/service. For example, pop up ads on your phone will often be related to past purchases you have made online or things you have searched for.
Now this doesn't seem so creepy right...this seems pretty logical. It's what I've noticed on some social media such as Instagram and Facebook that has made me think okay...that's a little coincidental. I will frequently see ads on my phone of things I have actually been talking about that day or just bought in a shop and not online, no lie. Now this is where it gets a bit weird for me. How do they know? Have they been listening to me? Surely that goes past the point of invasion of privacy. It's just purely stalking right?
With the introduction of more and more smart devices, such as Alexa, we are encouraging an extensive amount of data to be collected about us without us even knowing or consenting to it. The implicit way in which this information is gathered is rather deceitful and I believe it could soon get to a point where data could tell someone everything they need to know about you.
Is data collection spiraling out of control? Is it ethical? There's SO many questions.
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