One of the problems with modern technology is that tracking is highly lucrative. Many companies make billions of dollars (for the company and their owners) by collecting information about individuals and using that data in a way that other businesses find valuable.
Almost every free service is actually just a way to track users. Most websites have third party trackers on them. The most visited websites on the Internet are designed to attract people so they can be tracked.
Mobile devices are the epitome of tracking devices, as they have built in wireless communication, unique IDs, and can be tracked by their nature, even if they do not have purpose built tracking devices built into them.
Mobile applications (and some desktop applications) have tracking features as well, which often have access to one's contacts and other information.
It has gone far beyond simple membership cards in stores. Even online retailers like Amazon have trackers on other websites.
People who get money from this (affiliate programs, monetization schemes, etc) are merely getting a sliver of the pie and are facilitating tracking and invasion of privacy.
Some may think it is harmless, but it is not necessarily so, given the massive amount of data a single source can have...forever.
Sometimes I see recommendations here which involve giving one's personal information to marketing companies for tracking and advertising purposes (most money saving apps and services).
I am of the mind it is not frugal to use them because:
- One's information is more valuable than one is getting by sharing it. One is only getting a small slice of the pie.
- The prices are higher to support the overhead of these "money saving" schemes. The more who are involved, the higher the overhead. The tracking should be limited, at most, to those who you are doing business with directly (ie, the bank knows what you do with the account you have with them and the retailers may know how you spend with them).
- The data mining operations are a liability and it is best to avoid helping other people get rich by jeopardizing your privacy and security.
December 13, 2017 at 12:15PM
