Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Mark Ollig’s “Bits & Bytes” 6/29/98



Free cookies. Yes, it is true.

You can and do receive cookies for free when you visit
many of the Web sites out there on the Internet.

These cookies, however, are made up of packets of code
that allow the Web site to not only remember you when you return, but will
track your interests at their Web site.

Cookies track your area of interests when you are doing
online shopping. When you return to that Web site, you will notice the ad
banners that are tailor made for what you were interested in when you last
visited.

The Web site doesn’t know your name yet, but it does know
that your were Customer 6388 and you were interested in western shoes. The
ad banner may show you other western style clothes to entice you to buy.
So, as Customer 6388 surfs through the site, or comes back for a return
visit, the ads that pop up are more likely to be for western wear. This
scenario would apply to anyone’s specific interests across the board. This
is a very powerful marketing tool used on the Internet.

Okay, no harm in just being an anonymous number. But what
happens when you make an online purchase at that site? Then things change.
Once you divulge specific identifying information about yourself, even if
it is just taking part in a survey or contest, you no longer are just Customer
6388, but become Q. R. Public.

This changes the whole game.

Once a Web site can connect your name, or e-mail address
with other information you might give it; age, sex, income, interests, number
of children, profession, whatever; you are now on a marketer’s dream list.

Every time you visit this site, it gathers more information
about your interests. That data may lead to tailored made ads and content
that you find interesting, but it is also information that can be sold.

Not that this isn’t happening today. Ever notice that when
you subscribe to some magazine, say a sports magazine, that a few weeks
later you are being sent junk mail about every sports magazine ever printed?

What happened was that you were put on a “list”
and some one, I don’t know, call them “list brokers,” sold your
name and the names of thousands of others buying the same magazine to other
magazine companies.

This is comparable to what happens online, only much faster
and more widespread. Because most of us may only subscribe to a couple magazines,
we will on the other hand visit hundreds of Web sites. Marketing agencies
may make a nickel per e-mail address that they can sell. They can make much
more if they tailor the e-mail addresses to specific types of buyers.

What to do?

There are a couple Web sites that are non-profit set up
to inform and supply information for us online users.

The first group, Online Privacy Alliance located at: www.privacyalliance.org
and the Council of Better Business Bureau’s OnLine Privacy Program located
at: www.bbbonline.org are
focused on providing us Web users a clear description of what information
is being collected and what may be done with it.

Privacy on the web is a very hot issue right now.

One way to protect yours is to not accept “cookies,”
this would keep Web sites from collecting information about you when you
would return.

Another way is to empty your Web browsers “cache”
or folder that keeps a trail of which Web sites you have visited. To do
this, just go into your browser’s preferences folder and click “empty
cache.”

Even if you never registered at a Web site, you would be
very surprised at how much information there is about you already online.

This information can come from many other online sources,
not just Web sites, but any postings you may have had on discussion or newsgroups
as well.

The topic of protecting your privacy on the Web is one
that you should have an understanding about. Visit the Web locations mentioned
for more information. Stay informed.

Have a great week!

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