Data leakage
Our devices and activity are constantly leaking data into the digital ether. What we choose to watch is recorded and reported to a remote server somewhere, along with the make and model of device we are using, the version of firmware it is running, and it’s IP address.
When we shop our loyalty cards and apps record our purchases as does the method of payment. Our modern cars record telematics and track our location via GPS. The in-car entertainment system tracks what we listen to and watch.
Web browsers profile our surfing habits, smartphones track our social and communication history. Smart meters track our utilities and can even tell when no one is home.
All of our smart devices connect to their manufacturer’s command and control center reporting telematics, performance, and usage data.
The photos and videos we take and upload contain metadata that shows where we took the image or video and on what device. We can be tracked via our smartphones right now and going back in time.
All this data leakage is valuable to someone. How much data are you leaking right now?
Tag: profiling
Fingerprinting and profiling
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about digital fingerprinting and profiling, how bad it’s getting, all of us becoming easily tracked, digitally.
You could be emailing a friend about going camping and the next minute your phone apps are serving you adverts about camping equipment and camp sites in your area. Or maybe you are considering a holiday to Greece and you look at a few travel sites. Then every web site you seem to visit afterwards is serving you Greece-related getaway adverts.
It’s getting out of control. Not quite Minority Report, but not far off. Web sites are able to capture data about your device via user agent strings, cookies, through third-party arrangements, and other methods, and they can knit-together your surfing history to build a picture of your habits and interests to better target you with product and service advertisements.
We are being tracked, fingerprinted, and profiled digitally without our explicit consent. And it’s getting worse. Smart TVs and devices listen and buffer your conversations waiting for you to provide instructions. Are they recording what we say? How come when I spoke about maybe going to buy a new car with my wife in the comfort of our own home, that when I checked my web mail on my mobile later I was served car adverts? Or how come when I bought some beer, chicken, and BBQ sauce at the local supermarket where I used my loyalty card with cash, the adverts on my phone and PC are now trying to sell me BBQs? A coincidence? Or am I being digitally tracked across multiple devices and accounts?
Am I being paranoid or are we being digitally tracked, fingerprinted and profiled?