(Good suggestions re. Ghostly, and the proxy server idea)
Here's a few observations about the behavioural information gathering
which is being undertaken via devices like Facebook Likes and Google
Analytics, etc:
1) Social Research is being undertaken. When we browse websites and this
sequence of visits is recorded (so called behavioural information
gathering) then we're engaged in social research. We don't think of it
like that but it is. You're the subject, and your behaviour is being
researched.
2) This social research is work. You are undertaking work. The product
of that work (i.e. your data) is exported to someone else.
3) Someone is making money out of your work, and it's probably not you.
Furthermore, unlike services which are provided in exchange for access
to your data (free email for example) it's not clear that you benefit
directly from the data acquisition. When a website designer includes
Google Analytics code in their site then they benefit from the website
reports generated by Google Analytics. However, there's no direct
benefit to you, although your data is being passed to Google.
I've deliberately not mentioned the ethics of someone gathering data
about you, re. your 'data image'/ surveillance issues, as that's
something separate.
I wondered about a proposal for a 'Data Co-op'. The Data Co-op is formed
as a co-operative – a mutual society (Industry and Providence Society).
The members of the Data Co-op are the people who undertake the social
research (i.e you, see above). This co-op is a members co-op rather than
a workers co-op (the Co-operative retailer selling groceries, etc is a
members co-op).
Technically, the data co-op functions something like this: there is a
proxy server which strips out the Facebook Likes and Google Analytics
code, etc. Members of the data co-op can elect that either: their
behavioural data is not collected, or that data is collected (just like
Facebook and Google collect this data) and sold. The value of the sold
data is then returned to the Co-op, and distributed to the members so
that they keep the profits (or give it to a charity) and indeed, you
could even distribute it like the Co-op's Divi where the more you surf
(and give up data), the more is returned to you.
Any thoughts about this?
One other thing that occurred to me is that by withholding the data from
Facebook/Google then there is the possibility of the data co-op offering
to sell the information to the them, and realising some profit, although
Google/Facebook would view the Data Co-op as a competitor. I guess it
would be a competitor.
Duncan Parkes wrote:
Have you looked at Ghostery? It's a plugin designed to avoid sending
this kind of stuff, but it also tells you what there is on each page
you visit.
Cheers,
Duncan
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