Data, data everywhere…feeling a bit uncomfortable

Recently one of my colleagues came to me and said that he searched something on a popular search engine and after that everything that he did online (browsing other sites, social media etc.) seems to know this and started showing similar content what he was searching for earlier.

Even though the site domain varied, other sites knew what he searched for and started showing very personalized content (yes, i do know that if you are using Adsense, Google would have already figured out what to show so that user actually clicks on these advertisements). How is this possible? Do these sites having different domains share data between each other. Isn’t that, a domain don’t share anything with other domain holds good here. Isn’t that a very basic browser security?

One of my other colleague also once told me a similar incident in which she was looking for a piece of furniture. She had clear picture in mind on what she wants. She used image search in one of the popular search engine. But unfortunately she couldn’t get what she was looking for and gave up.

Few hours later she was browsing through some of the famous social media sites and BOOM. These sites starts showing exactly the image she was looking for. The exact furniture piece that she was looking for.

Do these sites sell personal data between each other and earn money..😀.
In both incidents it can be thought of in positive sense whereby they indeed were getting more relevant data that they are looking for.

BUT…they were both skeptical and was being fearful of how much each of those sites know about you as a person.
Most of these sites capture so much data from you without your knowledge. The so called behavioral data (what did you browse, when did you browse, what areas of the sites your clicked, touched even looked) and most of the data in regards to your machine (which operating system, system details etc.), browser (which browser, version, which features are available and so on) along with data which you have given full access to without knowing much about those privacy issues like location.

In near future I am sure that these big sites can be consulted to get a person’s good conduct certificate (which sites you are visiting, at what time of day you browse, while browsing at different times what are your browsing traits and so on). Also, looking at such data these big sites can predict in advance whether he/she has a criminal tendency or any other such traits which is very hard to get looking at someone on their face. For example, recently this person has started looking at some undesirable sites and also has been searching for content showing certain negative traits of a person.

These data collected never get erased even after you die and can still be even used and linked to your children’s account and even predict their behaviour and other personal characteristics. If though i laugh while i write, but they could link parent and children’s account and can state some characteristics of a kid much in advance. If father showing criminal traits, the child could also show a similar traits in the future.. :). Sorry i am taking this too far.

Have I started to make you think…if so, my post is a success. Let me know your views.

I am going to write few more posts in the same topic and also going to predict certain things which will become a norm going forward.

You would have already known about cookie policy…😀. Don’t laugh…

It’s just one storage mechanism in the browser…heard of local storage…session storage…indexed db….?

No one asks for permission when they want to write on these storage mechanisms…you yourself has already given permission for them to write onto your disk…the so called data which they will use it later on…I am not really saying it’s bad…but what’s the point of cookie policy…these aspects also should be regulated…I guess. Just a thought…


If you would like to read some of the predictions made, please follow below links:

For Prediction One click here.

For Prediction Two click here.

For Prediction Three click here.

For Prediction Four click here.

A thought on browser and its tracking can be read here.

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Tomcy John

Tomcy John

Blogger & Author at javacodebook
He is an Enterprise Java Specialist holding a degree in Engineering (B-Tech) with over 10 years of experience in several industries. He's currently working as Principal Architect at Emirates Group IT since 2005. Prior to this he has worked with Oracle Corporation and Ernst & Young. His main specialization is on various web technologies and acts as chief mentor and Architect to facilitate incorporating Spring as Corporate Standard in the organization.
Tomcy John

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