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Found this article after some googling: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/criteo-and-the-dark-marketing-arts-that-are-growing-ever-more-

by r721 11y ago

Found this article after some googling: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/criteo-and-the-dark-marketing-arts-that-are-growing-ever-more-sophisticated-a6731106.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/cri... >Some light digging unearthed the fact that the company responsible for this particular dark art is called Criteo, and the MD, John Buss, was happy to talk me through this relatively new technique. It's all legal, all cookie-based, but crucially its database – which learns about me and how I click around websites – anonymously links up with databases of email addresses it has licensed from other companies operating online. A match between the two, along with an assessment that I might be likely to splash some cash, triggers an email. >How did my email address end up in the database in the first place? Well, at some point – and goodness knows how, because I do my utmost not to – I opted in to receive some communications "from selected third parties".

corvallis 11y ago
I could swear up and down that I have never used my personal address on any website/app ever. (I use my "spam" address for all internetting.) So if I had accidentally opted in somewhere, it would have been with my "spam" address. Even then, they should not be able to get my email address, period! My fear is that they have other info that I am supposed to have control over, such as my address/DOB/credit card/SSN. Can they mine all of those things just from cookies/browsing or when I purchase something from amazon? The reason I am fairly concerned about privacy is due to the nature of my work and the fact that I have a unique name. As it is, you can find my whole family and their address/phone number on a search's first page. I feel even less secure knowing that my sensitive personal info is so easily mined and distributed despite my best attempts to block ads/cookies/tracking and stay away from clickbait/social media who I would assume to be the primary offenders. I am also a little surprised that no one else seems terribly bothered and a company like Criteo is instead lauded for its innovative methods. Do we as users just have to accept that a lack of control over personal info is the new normal?

by r721 11y ago

corvallis 11y ago

I could swear up and down that I have never used my personal address on any website/app ever. (I use my "spam" address for all internetting.) So if I had accidentally opted in somewhere, it would have been with my "spam" address. Even then, they should not be able to get my email address, period! My fear is that they have other info that I am supposed to have control over, such as my address/DOB/credit card/SSN. Can they mine all of those things just from cookies/browsing or when I purchase something from amazon? The reason I am fairly concerned about privacy is due to the nature of my work and the fact that I have a unique name. As it is, you can find my whole family and their address/phone number on a search's first page. I feel even less secure knowing that my sensitive personal info is so easily mined and distributed despite my best attempts to block ads/cookies/tracking and stay away from clickbait/social media who I would assume to be the primary offenders. I am also a little surprised that no one else seems terribly bothered and a company like Criteo is instead lauded for its innovative methods. Do we as users just have to accept that a lack of control over personal info is the new normal?