DO NOT TRACK

AUTHORMarc Davis

PUBLISHED Friday, February 22nd, 2013

First Impression: Article about the negative implications of

Quote from the article that struck you most: “While many advertisers do support privacy, there is clearly a rogue element of advertising networks that wants to subvert the process. Or so it seems to me,”

5 things I’ve learned:

1. Commerce Secretary John Bryson endorsed the idea as “an important step toward fostering a culture of trust and respect of privacy.
2. Privacy is not something to be taken for granted, it is a subject that should greatly concern the individuals who should exercise it.
3. While many advertisers do support privacy, there is clearly a rogue element of advertising networks that wants to subvert the process.
4. Tracking of personal information can tempt these advertisers to keep track of their records for personal agenda.
5. Random browsing is also tracked – the sites we visit, the games we may play, how much time per day we spend online.

5 integrative questions:

1. What are the illegal and legal implications of these tracking of information?
2. What are the limitations that these advertisers should realize in terms of individual privacy?
3. How can the internet users be more informed about this issue of tracking of information?
4. How will the advertisers be responsible enough to realize that such tracking would be impractical?
5. How these advertisers can improved their businesses without invading customer’s privacy?

                As an internet user, I think it is favorable for me to support “Do not track” campaign for the reason that I know the threats and implications of the tracking that is happening around the internet. In my opinion, I don’t think it is good for us to be blind about the threat of invasion of privacy primarily because we as a person do not to be controlled or being disturbed by something because of someone observing behind the sheets. I can say that it is more practical to say that as a consumer, advertisers, especially different industries that provide services using the internet, should only be capable of allowing themselves to be recognized by the consumers. What I’m trying to say is, they do not have to go as far as invading someone’s privacy in order to benefit from their business, thus, we as a consumer should be the one making a choice of our own and should not be insidiously forced by them to buy their services. I think that is one way for me to defend the campaign of not tracking individual user’s activities in the internet. As for the Anti-do not track, I also understand some of the points made by it. But it is still not reasonable enough as for the subject matter is the concern for the user’s privacy. Considering that someone wants to be tracked for the reason of getting more advertisements, we still would not know if these advertisers would be capable of doing with these information that they are getting from us. I also want to give credit to Microsoft for being able to manifest in giving priority to its customers by providing a do not track feature in their browser, internet explorer. I don’t think just because some advertisers have the power to rule over the internet, it does not mean that they should try to make things right, such as private tracking to be a rule and don’t give a chance for consumers to appeal to their wants. The thing is, these advertisers with such capabilities over the use and functions of the internet, are capable of depriving its users with enough information to in terms of internet usage. Some of these advertisers does not even provide that information to users that they are capable of tracking their activities and be able to keep their records. It is alarming to realize that such acts are not practically illegal for everything in the internet may be categorized as public information. As an internet user, I would want to be fully aware of what I am into especially with these social media sites that are very prone to being hacked which can cause identity theft and invasion of private information. One of the reasons why I really don’t like these tracking feature is that for me, it is a type of being stalked around in every detail that I am doing whether these are some pictures that I’ve liked, or some videos that I’ve shared or images that I’ve uploaded, I don’t think that they should have the right to invade and keep track of these information just because of the benefit of their business.