Admittedly, the topic of personal digital privacy is not one that I have thought a lot about. I think my initial thought was that, as a soon to be marketing professional, I do not have a huge problem with collecting data about customers to help target them better and create better products and services. Although, I now realize that that is an overly idealistic view that that is all that this data is used for.
For
the most part, the idea that companies like Google and Apple collect data, that
is used to create and improve products and services that help me does not
necessarily bother me. Since I am going into a career in marketing, though, I
think my view is already a little skewed in that I let more slide because I
understand that it is helping out a fellow marketer. However, the more I read
and think through the potential future downfalls, I think it is an issue I
should be more concerned about.
On
the surface, my usual thought is that if I were doing anything that I would not
want these data collectors to see, I should not be doing it. And since that is
not a problem, then I do not mind them collecting data on me. I do not
generally think about that data be stolen or shared with the wrong people.
While I do not necessarily mind my name being tied to any of this information,
I do worry about sensitive financial information being accessed from anything
they obtain.
I recently
saw an American Express commercial that asks customers to link their American
Express card to Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare in order to receive deals for
places nearby. I did a little search for the program and found several blog
posts from people that are praising the idea. It seems to me that people are a
little blinded by anything containing the word deal or savings lately. I think this
is an area where I would draw a line. I would personally be a little wary of
linking something involving my money with social media. Particularly after
reading in the Wall
Street Journal article about how much personal information can be obtained
from our social media accounts.
Now
that I’ve started to think deeper about this topic and after reading these
articles for class, I decided I should look up Google’s privacy policy
since I admittedly have never read it. At first look, I think one primary
reason that I have not read it yet, along with all other privacy policies for
sites like Facebook and Twitter, is because it is really long. I generally do
not have time to go through the entire policy and to understand what hidden implications
are meant by what they say.
Under
“Information we share,” Google claims that they share personal information with
companies outside of Google when they have customer’s consent and that they
require “opt-in” consent for sharing sensitive information. However, I don’t
recall ever being asked by Google for my consent. I consider myself to be
fairly alert to privacy questions, although it is entirely possible that they
slipped it by me.
Facebook
has another annoying privacy policy and is known for taking data collection to
the limits. While I find all of the automatic wall posts annoying, I think Facebook
is doing more to hurt their image than violating privacy. Where do we draw the
line between a nuisance and what’s harmful? If consumers don’t speak up,
companies will continue to push the line. But, for the time being at least, I
don’t think anyone would be willing to give up their Facebook or Google
accounts just to make a statement.
In
some respect, I think the fact that these companies take the time to layout
such extensive privacy policies drives consumers to trust that they are being
honest and transparent. But as the WSJ article on Apple, Google Collect User Data
suggests, are collecting and distributing highly identifiable, non-aggregated
information.
It
seems to me that the responsibility is on us as marketers to be much more
critical of the companies that provide consumer data. If marketers keep asking/looking
for this sort of unqualified, unsecured data, these companies will go to great
lengths to continue pushing the limits of consumer privacy.
