Overview

Introduction
Data Tracking is the process advertising companies, social networks, etc use to obtain information about users and is then used in various ways 1, advertising being the most infamous due to the many privacy concerns.

How Companies Track
Every time a page is displayed, a search is made, a video is played, and ads are shown there is an interaction between the computer the user is searching on and the company that owns the site or serves the ad. All of the above events are known as "data collection events" according to . The company will then receive information regarding what type of page the user was on, the I.P. address of the user, and the content of the ad. Most companies also use cookies on the user's browser so they will recognize every time they interact with that user in the future if the user has registered with a Web site 2. This information is then added to file of the user that keeps growing and growing with each click. According to TheWeek, in a 36 hour period there are over 105 different companies that will track your movements 3.

Advertising Companies and your data
Advertising companies are very interested in the data that results from tracking. They purchase data that tracking companies collect to better gear ads to users. According to The Wall Street Journal the data for users' movie interests sells for $1 per thousand 4. As The Week puts it,"The websites you visit reshape themselves before you like a carnivorous school of fish, and this is only the beginning." This results in advertisements that are better geared for the user 3. This is the cornerstone of many of the privacy concerns today.

What is the big deal?
This topic is discussed by Rebecca Rosen of The Atlantic. Rosen discusses a scenario in which she received ads from Google of deals for hotels in Annapolis where she was conveniently planning a vacation. However, the ad was not completely up to date, as she had already booked her hotel. But what exactly is wrong with this? Rosen mentions Ryan Calo, professor at the University of Washington as one who has gone far to describe the possible dangers of advertisement targeting. Calo's argument discusses that the ad targeting is not about the sanctity or privacy of the individual but rather the obligation to protect consumers from money hungry companies. Calo does also acknowledge the upsides of this however. For instance, because companies want to gear ads towards the users they "have incentives to help and delight them.". Perhaps a user will come across an ad for a good deal on a hotel or a new pair of shoes, for which they have not already booked or purchased. Nonetheless, according to Calo there are different types of dangers associated with ad targeting. The first of these is economic, such as market failures in part due to price discrimination tactics. Another is the lack of autonomy. By taking advantage of a consumer's vulnerabilities 5. The choice is up to the user, if it is a true concern then there are means for tracking prevention.

References:
1  What is online tracking (n.d.). In abine. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from

2  Story, L. (2008, March 9). How Do They Track You? Let Us Count the Ways. In Bits. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from

3  The Week Staff. (2012, April 13). Digital Shadow: How companies track you online. In The Week. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from

4  Angwin,J. (2010, July 30). The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets. In The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from

5  Rose, R.J. (2013, August 16). What Does It Really Matter If Companies Are Tracking Us Online?. In The Atlantic Retrieved March 30, 2014, from