In each second of every day, personal information is being indexed and processed. Every device we use has a unique address that is being broadcast as long as you have wireless networking switched on. Many of us do not even realize that programs exist to find every picture you may have ever posted online. They can also pinpoint exactly where you were when you uploaded them. If you haven’t set the right privacy settings, it will be fairly easy to work out exactly where you live, your habits, and when you are at home and when you are out. Some services are specifically designed to scare people about the information they are unintentionally leaking to the world, such as PleaseRobMe.com. This shows you whether you are sharing your location and will prompt you to change your privacy settings. Source: Ben Goldacre, “When Data Gets Creepy: The Secrets We Don’t Realise We’re Giving Away,” The Guardian, December 5, 2014, http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/05/when-data-gets-creepysecrets-were-giving-away.

1.Make a careful list of all the websites, forums, social networks, and other places you have visited this week. What data have you left that could have value to a business?

2.Monetizing this data is the key to revealing its true value. Should marketers have access to such information? Discuss how you would use data trails left by individuals on the Internet if you ran a business.