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Are there any positive uses of our online data beyond targeted advertising?

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21–23 of 23 posts

Re: Are there any positive uses of our online data beyond targeted advertising?

#21

Careful what you wish for. The reason many jurisdictions have laws stating that public establishments have to treat all customers equally is that in the days before cars and large stores, shopkeepers tended to know all their customers, and if one was in the wrong kind of neighbourhood, that meant that weekly shopping turned into the sort of exercise in cliques and popularity that would make a high-drama high school p…

Didn't know this but super interesting. Thanks for sharing!

Re: Are there any positive uses of our online data beyond targeted advertising?

#22

Even if there were some positive uses, the risk associated with misuse isn’t worth it. I don’t think these datasets should exist at all. Users should have a right to privacy and to not be manipulated for profit.

True, but if the dataset already exists, why not use it to benefit you?

Re: Are there any positive uses of our online data beyond targeted advertising?

#23

social matching Facebook and Linkedin suggest people pretty regularly. The problem is that there’s often a good reason we havent already connected despite 15 years of opportunity.

This made me laugh. I was thinking more social matching with people not already in your network. For example dating or finding a roommate.
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