People Don't Like Being Watched

According to a recent survey by Truste, people don't like to have their internet activities monitored. I think that this falls into the "that's obvious" category. That's like a survey reporting that an overwhelming majority of US citizens don't like ingrown toenails. Yeah, we kind of assumed that.

71% of the people in the survey acknowledged that companies track their Web browsing activities but 57% said they are NOT OK with the practice, even if they know that their browsing history can't be linked to their names. That is much lower than I expected. I guess more people are OK with big brother watching.

What can a person do to prevent tracking? One thing you can do is clear your cookies. I am not talking about the double chocolate, chocolate chip, chocolate frosted cookies in the 3 drawer on on the right, clear to the back (my wife hides them, but I found the stash). I am talking about your browser cookies. Run your AdWare/SpyWare software frequently and clean out your cookies for a more anonymous online experience.

Online Media Daily says that "...state lawmakers in New York and Connecticut are mulling legislation that would regulate online tracking, and as the Federal Trade Commission is considering new behavioral targeting guidelines." This raises a question in my mind. How much anonymity should we expect when surfing? Should we expect as much as we do when we make a purchase with case in a retail store? At least security cameras see you when you are in a store. I don't think I have an opinion yet on anonymous surfing. What do you think?

Oh and I recently learned that if you send an email from your Hotmail account, it logs the IP of the machine that you are sending it from and includes that in the email header. AND DON'T ASK ME WHY I KNOW THAT NOW.

Tune in tomorrow for the latest edition of "The Advertising of Yesterday."