In the article, “Privacy and Enhanced
Personalization,” the authors explore the issue of balance between a
personalized web experience and risk of losing privacy in order to gain that
personalization. The article found that many users prefer the convenience and
familiarity of personalized, customizable websites. However, many of those same
users also have concerns about giving up private information about themselves
in order to have that level of personalization.
There are several factors that determine
whether or not an internet user is willing to give up private information in
order to gain more personalization. Different people have different ideologies about
what is private and how much of that private info that they are comfortable
sharing. You must also consider the trustworthiness and reputation of the
website that is asking for information. Does the website have a privacy
statement or privacy rules that it closely follows? In general, you must have
the right combination of user preference and website history.
The article concluded by saying that several
small changes must be made. These include different behaviors for internet users,
the websites themselves, and governmental agencies that department the policies
we all have to follow in regards to privacy and information sharing.
As a frequent internet user but also someone
who likes to keep my personal information private, I still have concerns moving
forward about personalization and privacy. I am definitely disturbed by the
trend of companies and websites wanting every single piece of information they
can find about me. The question that sticks out the most to me is, “When will
internet users draw the line in regards to privacy and information sharing?”
Will we continue to share and distribute every aspect of our identity? I wonder if anyone else shares my concerns or
has an answer to my question. Let me know in the comments!
Josh, you pose a good question. I often wonder that too: when will the line be drawn? Sometimes I fear that there will be one moment when everything is leaked or everyone's identities will be stolen or something wild that will cause a national or even worldwide crisis. But then sometimes I think, maybe a line won't need to be drawn because nothing is really going to happen at all. Maybe our lack of privacy isn't so dangerous at all. This of course depends on the type of information that is losing privacy- credit card info, Social Security numbers, addresses- those are obviously more important than your likes/interests, the products you buy online, etc.
ReplyDeleteThat all relates back to what you mentioned about people's ideologies about privacy. Some people, like you, consider it creepy or disturbing that unknown companies out there have information on you (even if it's not dirt). But others don't care. I like how you described this in your own personal terms, rather than simply reiterating the terminology from the article (the Privacy Unconcerned, Privacy Pragamatists, etc.)
I only have one question or misunderstanding about your summary of the article: what do you mean by "In general, you must have the right combination of user preference and website history"?
I have thought the same thing as well Josh. It seems that with the way media is becoming so predominate in todays culture it seems that we are sharing more and more. I don't know if much will change with how much we share, but I do think the type of information we share is going to end up changing. I think that the information that is going to change the most is the type of interest and likes we have. I think stores are going to start using this information more when we are currently shopping in stores and not just online. Maybe our parents won't be sharing all of their information, and we might hold a little back as well, but I think that in the future our kids as they grow up are going to have everything online.
ReplyDeleteTaking from what you have said, Josh, and taking Emily's statement about how "in the future our kids as they grow up are going to have everything online", I feel that rather than people drawing a line on what information they provide on the internet that technology will just adapt itself to our desire to personalize our online lives. As people rely more and more on the capabilities of the internet, technology will (hopefully) shift itself to help us express ourselves while still keeping our information private. Imagine that everyone has a card they scan to get online. On this card is all the information the user wants to provide, and the information on it, when scanned, is sent to certain companies to help personalize shopping experiences and promote certain products. Then, when the user is done, the card stores all the information and does not leave any of it on the machine that was used. I'm pretty sure I just described what Client-Side Personalization is...anyway, the point is is that I feel that the information itself won't change, but the medium from which it is presented and stored will.
ReplyDeleteJosh, I totally agree with the points you made and the argument you presented with your question. I think it's unfair to ask an internet user to give up their privacy on the internet just so they can have their personalization. Like you pointed out in your blog, I think the average person doesn't think to check if a Web site has a privacy statement or privacy rules that they follow intently. I consider myself to be a Privacy Fundamentalists so I definitely have concerns moving forward about Privacy vs Personalization. Unfortunately, I feel that changes will not be made regarding sharing personal information until a large number of people have had their identities stolen or something similar to that. Sometimes you don't realize the magnitude of a situation until you experience it first hand.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if our generation has been so used to providing our information that we truly don't think twice about when we have to post it. I for one, usually just input my information. Sometimes, on sketchy websites I will make a fake birthday or something but for the most part it is second nature. Because our generation was raised on this, I can see it getting out of hand in the near future like you say. Will there ever be a line? I feel like it is solely up to our generation because we are the future. If we keep posting our information without question, then it will continue to get out of hand.
ReplyDelete