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I seriously do not get this privacy sham. All of a sudden everybody and there uncle is very concious about some algorithms (that select the ad for you) knowing
by rick_2047 16y ago
I seriously do not get this privacy sham. All of a sudden everybody and there uncle is very concious about some algorithms (that select the ad for you) knowing what they searched for. I mean even if I search for something inappropriate and then google ads algorithm knows what I searched for, big deal yaar whats the harm?
I presume referrer headers existed even before google and this privacy outrage. The thing I do not understand is, why this sudden conciousness about some database of what you searched online?
- lylejohnson 16y agoI don't think it's "all of a sudden," rather that as the web continues to grow up, more and more people are becoming aware that what they do or say on the web isn't as private as they might once have thought. As an aside, I think it first really clicked for me a few years back with the whole Netflix Prize situation, where even though the data was anonymized, smarter folks than I were able to demonstrate how you could personally identify a subscriber's profile from it.
- huertanix 16y agoThis isn't just a matter of advertising. Your search history is an incredibly personal and detailed profile of who you are, and governments have a history of trying to use that sort of information for $badThings. See: US DOJ request for search engine histories in 2005. There's a reason why librarians fought so hard to keep your book checkouts private when the Patriot Act passed. Search histories have a potential for abuse and their privacy should be an issue.
- rick_2047 16y agoThen don't select such a government. Last time I checked USA was a democracy.