The Original Sin of Internet Advertising
Big data: the Internet would not exist as we know it without the presence of big data. But then I have to ask, would that necessarily be a bad thing?
Made simple, big data is the process of collecting vast amounts of consumer data, analyzing it, and selling the information to other companies. As pointed out by 60 Minutes, this process is conducted without the consumers knowledge. This is perhaps the biggest issue and warning flag that I have with this. If it was not a shady business practice, companies would not have reasons to hide their actions from the people it affects. But it is, and they do. Moreover, as 60 seconds and Maciej Ceglowski state, consumers have no idea the scope of their lost privacy.
Users supposedly consent to the surveillance in user agreements, but that is manipulative and dirty. Very few people read those agreements, and writings are purposefully vague. There is no way to truly understand the scope of the trafficking that is going on. Perhaps this is a bit extreme, but it is almost equitable to human trafficking. While not people’s physical bodies are being sold as property, all of their sensitive is. Our identities are stolen by companies we are expected to trust and by those we don’t even know exist.
There needs to be transparency. The companies that are collecting and selling this data need to be named for all the world to know. Spies are not as effective when everyone knows who they are. And privacy policies need to be more plainly stated. When companies and apps want access to information, they need to tell consumers in a plain fashion what information they are taking, what it will be used for, and who is gaining access.
Regulation is a start. The biggest protesters are naturally those who would be negatively impacted by laws set to limit the spread of private information: Facebook, Google, big data companies. However, they need to be placed in check. Laws should be made flexible to accommodate situations but firm enough to not allow loopholes and extortion. Laws need to be updated to keep up with technology.
We need to start over. I don’t know the total solution, but advertising has overstepped it’s welcome. I agree that as a business model, it was and continues to be lucrative. It truly does form the corner stone of our Internet driven economy, as Ceglowski claims. More advertising means more money, which means more services to more people. But to make that advertising more effective, Ceglowski points out, we need more data. But as he says, we need to be able to forget it.
As an example, Snapchat does not store pictures on Snap Inc. servers after they are viewed. While the data is still present on the devices themselves, they are not readily retrievable. Even a system such as this would be much better for an industry of data collection and selling.
Instead of this however, we have created a cycle of endless data consumption. Increased activity leads to increased data, which leads to increased advertising, which leads to increased activity. And so it continues. We need to find a new path.
