The battle for your privacy as a consumer is underway.  That is if you consider it a battle.

At a fundamental level, we all need to be aware of the fact that everything we do online leaves a digital trail.  Every website you visit, search you conduct, and link you click is associated with your IP address, social media accounts, or cell phone number.

This is inescapable.  There are no digital erasers.

At the heart of the matter is what happens with this data.  Advertisers see it as a window into consumer behavior.  Should this window be open or shut?

Privacy for Sale

So what are ISPs and advertisers planning when they talk about selling and using your data?  Here is a good review from the Washington Post:

This is a huge issue right now because the government just repealed the rules requiring ISPs to get your consent before they sell data about your browsing activities to advertisers.

For most people, that means that of this writing in March 2017, advertisers are following their online browsing history.

Comcast knows what you’ve been up to…and they’re selling that info to Home Depot, Kelloggs, Nike, and Apple.

Pros and Cons

For everyone who read George Orwell’s novel 1984 (back on the bestseller list in early 2017), these events seem ominous.  There is something inherently disturbing about large telecommunication corporations tracking and using data from your internet usage.

After all, a great deal about your life can be gleaned from the websites you visit.

For example, I need to watch my blood pressure, so I sometimes research lifestyle changes that can help me keep it lower.

This means a pharmaceutical company or healthcare organization can get this information and start sending me personalized ads for products I might be interested in to improve my blood pressure.

On the one hand, they are peeking into my personal life without my permission.  I don’t like it.

On the other hand, if advertisements are going to be there anyway, is it such a bad thing that they connect to my actual needs and interests?  What would I rather see, an ad for salt-free seasonings or one for a trip to Las Vegas I’m not planning to take?

As some of the ISP representatives and politicians in favor of these repeals argue, the intent behind these moves is not all nefarious.  We live in a consumer-driven society, which advertising and marketing are part of.

Also, it’s a misconception that all the news, social media, and gaming we consume online is free.

Facebook is not free, nor is Google – even though they don’t charge your credit card.  There is a transaction involved for use of these services.  You surf and share what you want, and in exchange the platforms record it.

Somebody has to pay for all that content.  Your privacy is part of that collection.

The New Privacy Paradigm

A lot of people didn’t like the way President Trump and the Republicans “slipped” these changes through the back window.

But you know why they did it that way.  There is something inherently spooky about the idea you’re being spied on.  You don’t really want Google to know where you are.  It encroaches on your sense of freedom.

But say you’re about to walk into Texas Roadhouse to eat and suddenly a buy one beer get one free coupon pops up on your phone.  Are you going to be that disturbed?  This is free beer we’re talking about here.

One way or the other, consumers must come to terms with the fact that the concept of “privacy” will change.  You can’t just disappear and be anonymous; you connect to the internet.

Like walking through fresh snow, you’ll leave a track.  You have to consider this as a consumer and citizen.

The Commercial Break

For years, most of us lamented the commercial break interrupting our sit-com or ball game.  Fake happy people appearing before us, trying to sell us cars, soda, and vacation deals – when you can’t afford a car, don’t drink soda, and are a year away from your next vacation.

Advertising based on internet and shopping histories will know when you’re shopping for a car or planning a vacation.  They’ll know you drink beer instead of soda.  And they’ll advertise based on that knowledge.

This battle will go on for a while.  We’ll debate the pros and cons.  In the end, technology will come around to people’s needs, providing privacy when we need it, and opening the window when we prefer it.

But it will always be the case that internet access is a glass window.  You can see through it from either side.