Profiling Travelers

Bruce, if there is, international big business will find away around it. And we give most of the info away voluntarily.

"And we give most of the info away voluntarily."

Unknowingly, not voluntarily.

Well for EU Citizens there is the new GDPR, which is applicable worldwide regardless of where the company or individual collecting the data resides. It includes restrictions on the type and amount of data collected, the right to be forgotten and fines of up to 4% of worldwide turnover may apply.

In preparation for the coming into force of this legislation, companies have been deleting data related to Date Of Birth, Race, Sex, Religion, Personal Preferences etc... Even address is off limits unless your business needs to make a physical delivery to the customer and so on.

A positive action from the consumers is required to include them in marketing activities, including in the TOC etc... is not acceptable and will result if fines if attempted.

Most US companies are complying and those that don't seem to be blocking access from Europe in order to avoid penalties.

I'm a detective working in a major crime department and some of the stuff we have access to is a real eye opener, I can only imagine what the intelligence services have access to. Personally it's not advertising I'm concerned about but rather the more insidious and intrusive data acquisition and how it's used.

Well all I can say as an IT person in Europe, is that deleting data and making data work with less data has become a big thing right now. That plus trying to get people to confirm that they are opting in to advertising. No response mean data must be deleted and I have noticed a significant drop in my junk mail folder.

Don't worry, Jim. Your junk mail has been coming my way.

Aside from gathering traveller data from internet searches, etc., the next frontier will be gathering consumer data from automobile systems. Consumer Reports recently had an article on that topic, and there's supposedly lots of data gathering capability already built into new cars. That includes a "black box" that records parameters prior to a collision. That can be accessed by police (and possibly insurance companies) in the event of an MVI.

The next innovation will be inward facing cameras which view the driver and other occupants. At least two car firms will be introducing those in 2019 models. They say the cameras are not capable of recording video, but I wonder how long that will remain true? Car makers are apparently "salivating" at the thought of monetizing all that data.

Thankfully I still drive an older car, which has little in the way of modern features.

There is a simple and elegant solution to the problem of data collection and it’s use/misuse and monetizing.

We must insist that WE OWN OUR DATA. If we did own our data then the companies who want to use it for advertising would have to PAY us for that use. Think 100th of a cent for each data bit about you transferred to a second party and so on. This would bring the collection and misuse of data to a near halt.

What is happening now is absolutely brilliant: Take Facebook as an example; All of the users of Facebook are in reality unpaid employees of Facebook. They produce all of Facebooks “Product”, the data, with their “likes” what they look at and read and what they write about. Face book gathers all that data and sells it. If Facebook had to pay each of us for it it would change the digital landscape in dramatic ways.

Unless and until we come to the realization that we all should own our own data and be paid for it’s use this issue of unrestrained data collection/monetizing/use and misuse will just get bigger and bigger.

Personally it's not advertising I'm concerned about but rather the more insidious and intrusive data acquisition and how it's used.

I agree. Advertising is a pain in the ass, but I don't find it too hard to quickly delete solicitation emails. And we don't answer our phone until we hear the voice of someone we know, so that takes care of the phone solicitations. I still hate it, but I can deal with that aspect.

I use Adblock plus on my computer and it works a treat which was a surprise considering it's free (I have since made a donation to the creator as it's spared me from so much advertising hassle). I also use a call blocker on my landline, Trucall, which has completely eliminated all cold calls and nuisance calls, the best £100 I've ever spent. I can watch the calls coming in during the evening (the led flashes red when a call is being made) and then turn back to blue as they give up or are automatically blocked and the sheer volume of them is incredible. Mind you, it does mean that I no longer have some fun playing with the 'Microsoft Support' calls from India.

All those security issues with Facebook, Zuckerberg summoned before Congress, etc, etc, ie, when all that came to light this Spring, I am glad I don't use Facebook and have nothing to do with them or any other social media.

Ah, yes, JC, those Microsport Support calls. We get at least two a week. If you say “Are you calling from Karachi?” or “Hellooo Delhi!” it seems to flummox them momentarily. One guy, when asked if he was calling from Karachi, actually asked “How did you know?” But, you know, having seen the movie Slum Dog Millionaire, it’s hard to be rude to them. Hard, but not impossible.

Take Facebook as an example; All of the users of Facebook are in reality unpaid employees of Facebook. They produce all of Facebooks “Product”, the data, with their “likes” what they look at and read and what they write about. Face book gathers all that data and sells it. If Facebook had to pay each of us for it it would change the digital landscape in dramatic ways

Facebook would argue that you are not "unpaid". You are receiving a service or benefit (being able to share or connect with friends and family, get news, etc...use the service) in return for information; basically a payment-in-kind arrangement.

As for recent EU regulations on privacy, I am sure it is a good effort, but the only practical display of it was in London, during World Cup matches, all of the pubs had notices on the door indicating that some beer company or the other "may" be videotaping in the pub that night, more of an "opt out" than "opt in", though "opt in" was intended more for internet apps.

I think its also a mistake to think that somehow the US protections will be there to protect us against these intrusions in our privacy. When you're dealing with companies that operate internationally, other countries (like China, Russia) can require these companies to provide your data legally under their laws. If they don't cooperate, they get shut out.

I don't use Facebook, and I'm sure I'm missing out on connecting with people I would like to connect with. But I'm also not connecting with those I'd like to avoid. So, a wash for me.

I'm finding the recent ad surge from Facebook to be pretty irritating. All about how they'll look out for us, and how to avoid fake news. A bit late, that. Kind of like the Wells Fargo ads about regaining our trust...

Since this is primarily a travel forum, several questions just came to mind. How did many of us live in and travel about in Europe before all this technology? And many of us still do so without the latest techno gizmos. We did it quite well, in my opinion. Nothing wrong with using the technology, to each his own, but is it really needed? And is the "convenience" really worth giving up what little privacy we still have? Just random thoughts.

I think that the answer is that many are perfectly willing to exchange data for service. Take Google Maps, many find it not only nice, but nearly essential for travelling. It even seems "safe", but it is certainly tracking what places are searched, locations of users, it even derives traffic information based on how fast and where you are moving on a roadway to share with users. Is that intrusive? it really does not identify you as an individual (unless you link your Google Account in) rather it polls users. So would you abandon Google Maps, and others? Nearly all map apps and GPS systems do the same, if only for feedback to improve the map.