There is a lot more to it that what meets the eye, or even how you and I may look at this today....
Lots of 'content' companies have been collecting data and are able to tie it together... e.g. Google is able to track where you Cell phone is (gps data) and cause you are logged in... If you are using other Google apps, it also knows where you fired off that email or where exactly you were when you did what you did. Browsers are able to keep track of the sites you have visited (we all know that). There is a trend in very targeted marketing, right now done by Free HotSpot owners, i.e. if you are in a Bar or a store, along with your smart device, they know how long you have been there, and under certain circumstances can even tie to you how much you have purchased... Such information is some of the most sought after by businesses.. if you tie that in all together, along with Push Ads, you can have a very interesting eco-system So, the removal of this law, allows for the development of targeting marketing, demographic data collection, individual behavior etc.... To answer your question, is the browsers history data of any value today ? answer is most likely not.. However when tied together with other bits of information, such as GPS, online shopping, etc etc, (most likely to be developed tomorrow) will this be of value ? Answer is Very Much, and possible quiet valuable... :) Faisal Imtiaz Snappy Internet & Telecom 7266 SW 48 Street Miami, FL 33155 Tel: 305 663 5518 x 232 Help-desk: (305)663-5518 Option 2 or Email: [email protected] > From: "Adam Moffett" <[email protected]> > To: "Animal Farm" <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2017 7:05:11 PM > Subject: [AFMUG] Semi OT: Selling web browsing history > Has anyone here been offered money for data on clients web browsing or other > online activity? Have you ever sought and found a company that would buy it? > Is > there a known case of an ISP doing this? I'm betting all 3 are "no". > A couple of friends are going nuts on Facebook about the reversal of a law > that > would prohibit ISP's from selling or sharing various types of data. The law > was > signed under the previous administration, but never took effect. Until now I'd > not even heard of it. > I singled out the most vehement one and told him to calm down. I told him of > all > the types of data we'd be prohibited from sharing (Medical, financial, social > security etc) we don't actually have most of it to begin with. Of all the > cited > things we're allegedly "allowed" to share/sell, the only thing I conceivably > could produce would be a web browsing history. Ok, so if I wanted to sell > that, > who's buying? I argue that you should be more worried about Google and > Facebook....who really do have access to a crapload of your data. And what is > so secret in your browser history anyway? > One person brought up a case of a Verizon Wireless "Super Cookie" (X-UIDH > header > inserted into HTTP requests). A case where incidentally the FCC told them > people needed an opt-out option and fined them $1.3mil for not having > it.......without any additional rules. And the so-called super cookie only > allowed web services to uniquely identify the device and key their own data > around it....Verizon wasn't "sharing" anything. > Ultimately I don't care whether there's such a rule or not. It seems > irrelevant. > It's like a rule telling me not to share my space shuttle with anyone. I'm > like, "Sure, no problem." > If there's a reason I should be excited/alarmed, someone please educate me. > -Adam
