Harvard Business School has recently published a case study on Data.gov, the government’s initiative to make more data available to average citizens and the private sector. There is a vast trove of data in the repositories of the various agencies of the Federal government but it can be tough to locate and put to use. [...]
I’ve been thinking about the ongoing Facebook privacy kerfuffle and have concluded that it comes down to what I term “antagonistic aspirations.” Facebook, like many social media sites, wants to be a place where members share unabashedly — you feel safe, connected, and free to be yourself. They also want to be the ultimate data mine [...]
In the midst of the frantic online shopping season, the Federal Trade Commission held a round table discussion on privacy and technology, according to the New York Times: “The commission has been examining whether online privacy should be regulated. The debate has grown louder as technology companies are tracking and profiling people in new ways, [...]
As much as marketers love tailored ads, consumers don’t agree — especially when they find out about the tracking that lies behind them.
An editorial in today’s NY Times laments the loss of locational privacy thanks to swipe cards, cell phones, and toll transponders. The author asks legitimate questions: how many appications link “who” with “where” unnecessarily and for how long does this information need to be stored? Analytics-based competitors need to take heed for a couple of [...]
A recent story in the New York Times revealed what many of us behind the curtain already knew: companies know a lot about their customers and, in some cases, their prospects. “’Now, you’re traveling the Internet with a cookie that indicates you’re this type of consumer: age group X, income level, urban versus rural, presence [...]
