Just Plain Bill
Should I be concerned?
Lately, I’ve
been wondering just how transparent my Internet activities are, especially the
searches in which I engage as I either check out or purchase particular items.
Just last
night, I was checking out the prices for a used motorhome, as my wife’s
colleague had mentioned one that was available for sale. After about five
minutes of searching various sites, I reverted back into my usual routine and opened
Sports Illustrated and Huffington Post, sites I use for the latest breaking
news. Much to my surprise, the side banners on those sites contained two
sources for information on new and used motorhomes, neither of which were sites
I had used earlier in the evening. Was I tempted to open them?
I’ve always
known that the inner workings of my computer, namely cookies, were interested
in keeping track of my search habits. Perhaps I’m being tracked for the
creation or expansion of a data profile that may be of interest to various data
mining sites. I know there’s always someone willing to sell me something, but
for what other purposes not known to me might my profile be tracked?
The
convenience and ease of purchasing items has blinded me to the reality of just
how public my computer usage is. Should I be concerned?
I do envision
a way that a bad guy could influence most all of what I do on my computer, and
wonder of ways the bad guy’s personal preferences may influence my thinking, my
decision making process, or even possibly do me harm.
Should I be concerned?
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