technoculture203-09

The shifting concept of privacy in the digital age was addressed in this week’s lecture. As a self professed techno-idiot, I found the subject of data mining both sneaky and most of all enlightening. Yes, I had wondered before about the advertisements which popped up on the side of my Facebook profile, and how more often than not they were advertisements for something snow related. How did they know about my love for the snow? Well it turns out that they have bloody well been following me around the internet, so to speak, haven’t they! But in all honestly, it doesn’t particularly bother me that this (data mining) is occurring, I mean they aren’t harming me by doing this, in this particular situation. However, this is not to say that I feel I am unaffected by any privacy threat in the digital age, (the availability of spy software shocked me) I am only speaking on the issue of data mining. What I am now able to rethink is what information I choose to freely disclose in cyberspace.

I came across a relevant article on The New Zealand Herald website- the article discusses the shutdown of Facebook's privacy violating 'Beacon' tracking system which once operated a highly questionable user tracking system with regard to privacy- ‘Beacon’ informed friends of sites visited, as well as online purchases made. Here is the link:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10598830
I look forward to finding out what power moves the NZ$13.44 million foundation might be able to put together for the future of online privacy, safety and security.