About three months ago, I bought a rose-patterned comforter on Amazon as a gift. Every single day since that time, I have been getting advertisements about rose-covered linens, throw pillows, afghans and more — and not just when I’m on Amazon.
So, how did these other companies know about my purchase?
Turns out, there are companies that exist solely to track the Internet efforts and patterns of consumers. I was on Amazon and expected them to track my purchase. I did not expect (or give permission to) any other companies to track what I was doing.
In December, an article in The New York Times, “We Can’t Trust Uber,” exposed that Uber’s executives had looked up (without permission) rides taken by prominent politicians, journalists and other customers. Uber can easily look up, and then disclose, where each customer is going and how often they go there — which could expose medical, personal or even government secrets. Read more here…