It's not new that information is being collected about you every time you visit the Web. The speaker touched on the subject of companies using consumer information and behavioral trends to personalize its services. On the other hand, who wouldn't want to have a service that is friendlier and more intuitive, knowing what your needs are before even you do. Part of the unease about the collection of personal information may be that we are not linear creatures but complex and continuously evolving. The practice of collecting personal information is a natural progression of Internet technology.
Data collection is relatively easy, and can be readily categorized and analyzed.
Seems harmless enough. Perhaps there is objection to the latter example because it is different from personally knowing a banker who suggested a service. But in this day and age, maybe that is asking too much. Kathleen Kotwica, Ph.D. is a Web Developer and Researcher at CIO Communications, Inc.