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AM: Internet user demographic and privacy
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I recently posted a couple of questions about the
value of the demographics behind an IP address.
When I posted my original question, I tried
specifically to avoid the issue of consumer
privacy.
Why?
People I've talked to draw a line in the sand, and say
that anybody that crosses that line is a heretic.
Whether the line is
* Complete anonymity; or
* Aggregate demographics; or
* Individual demographics; or
* Full identity sales; or
* No IP traffic monitoring; or
* Aggregate IP monitoring; or
* Individual monitoring; or
* Full sales of an individual's IP traffic w/ demographics
and identity included
Before talking about what is appropriate and
inappropriate, let's talk about what is possible.
It's my position that it would not be terribly difficult
to build a system that could be installed at an
ISP's facilities that would:
* Capture all IP traffic generated by the ISP's
customers; and
* Convert the IP traffic to the HTTP, NNTP, FTP, etc
level; and
* Log the captured data to a database; and
* Associate the captured data with a particular user;
and
* Associate the captured data with traditional
demographic data
PLEASE NOTE: I have not built such a system,
and I have no plans to build such a system, but as
an exercise I did design and price such a system
a few years ago.
Now, assuming that the above is not only possible,
but not terribly expensive to do, this means that
people will in fact build such systems, so some
decisions need to be made about how much of this
information should be sold.
I have opinions about what is and is not appropriate,
but my opinions do not matter. What matters is the
opinions of the marketplace, consumers, and
the government.
I would really like to hear from people that have
informed opinions about what the marketplace,
consumers, and the government are likely to do
in the next few years vis a vis Internet user privacy.
For example:
1) Will the government stand aside and let people
accept *free* Internet access in exchange for their
demographic profiles being sold?
2) Will the government stand aside and let people
accept *free* Internet access in exchange for their
Internet activities being monitored?
3) How long will it be, assuming No 2 happens, before
a judge somewhere permits an attorney to subpoena
an individual's Internet activities?
4) How many of us would be embarrassed to have our
spouses knowing the content of the sites we visit?
Would you accept an Internet access account that
monitored everything you did if that data was available
to you so you could see what your children/spouse
was up to?
5) I have antidotal knowledge of a study where
consumers were put in front of a dial. All the way
to clockwise was "Ultimate Privacy". All the way
to counter clockwise was "Lowest Cost". The
consumers were asked to set the dial where they
felt comfortable. A majority of the consumers
tested spun the dial hard over onto "Lowest
Cost". Was my source pulling my leg? Or is this
really how most people react?
6) How many people that rabidly defend Internet privacy
have shopping discount cards? Is this a double
standard?
7) Traditional marketing databases seems to know
everything about me there is to know. Why are
Internet profiles anything but a small extension
of these databases?
8) How much extra would you pay a month for an
Internet access account that guaranteed that no
monitoring or identity sales would take place?
9) Should the marketplace and consumers be allowed
to decide where the privacy "line in the sand" should
be drawn? Or is this more appropriately a decision
that should be made by the Government?
10) The FBI is trying to require telephone companies
to use equipment that can be easily wiretapped.
Are they trying to require ISPs to use equipment that
would make it easy for the FBI to stick a network
probe in on demand?
Andrew Forbes
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