Data mining is big business. Our personal information is worth a lot of money to online companies. It is their goal to get our attention and get us to purchase so that they can profit off of all of us. It is brilliant, really.
You may have noticed if you spend any time online, especially on sites like Facebook, that if you had previously Googled an item you were considering shopping for, it then pops up as a suggestion on the side advertising bar on facebook.com. That is thanks to trackers. They watch, learn and then follow you to suggest. They gather information on what you want and try their best to give it to you earning money not only from you but from advertisers who are willing to pay them to make that connection.
While this is fascinating technology-wise, it is also quite intrusive and very Big Brother reminiscent. Many do not feel comfortable having their every move tracked and recorded. Thanks to the Digital Advertising Alliance (The DAA) you can opt out of many of these trackers easily using their online WebChoices tool. Simply go to the URL http://optout.aboutads.info/ and it will scan and allow you to select what companies to opt out from.
What is the Digital Advertising Alliance?
The Digital Advertising Alliance is a nonprofit independent organization that watches over privacy practices for relevant digital advertising. They provide consumers with transparency by using principles that apply to Multi-Site Data and Cross-App Data gathered on both desktop and mobile devices.
While the DAA still hasn’t been able to fully eliminate tracking, this tool can help you make a serious dent.
English
Spanish
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian