Contextual ads to behavior targeting

The next generation of Internet advertising has arrived, but it may not be a good thing. Google is rolling out a new AdSense feature that delivers ads based on your behavior not on your queries. Typically text-based ads are contextual – they appear beside the content you’re reading or the searches you’re running because they related to that content or those search terms.

This new feature takes that one step further and tracks all of your online behavior. Based on what you view online, Google can build a profile of you and deliver ads that are specific to you (and potentially not related to the content you’re viewing). For example, if you put a big screen TV in your shopping cart at Future Shop, but choose not to buy it, Google could deliver ads for that very TV over the next few days (reminding you of your near-purchase).

Of course behavior targeting isn’t all bad, but you have to wonder about the privacy concerns. Google says you can opt-out of the system, but since the profiles are tracked by cookies, opting-out may be hard to do.

Read the Wired blog post and view the YouTube video here.

Where is your identity?

Here’s another example of how statistics can lie (and if it’s not an outright lie, then at least it’s a huge misrepresentation of the facts). This much is clear: the issue of identity theft is an increasing concern for both citizens and other officials (police, politicians, corporate watchdogs, etc). What isn’t so clear is where (or how) identities are actually stolen.

You don’t have to look far to find literature suggesting that the majority of identity thefts happen as a result of stolen or lost wallets. Many people claim that the risk of losing your identity due to a data breach is fairly small. At first glance this makes sense, but Kevin Poulsen writing on Wired’s Threat Level blog suggests that when you look at the data these statements don’t make sense.

In particular, Poulsen examines a report by Javelin Research. Recent victims of identity theft were asked how their identities were stolen. According to the chart, most people were victims of wallet theft; however, if you read the fine print you’ll actually find that the majority of the people surveyed actually had no idea how their information was stolen. Hmm… something isn’t right here. In other words, information could quite easily have come from a hacked database.

Read the full story (and see the pretty charts) here.

Advertising Surveillance

Here’s a completely new kind of Big Brother: advertisements that watch you. For real. Advertisers are perfecting ways to embed small cameras directly into screens used for advertising (or at the very least around the screens). These cameras make an educated guess as to who is nearby watching the advertisement (male, female, young, old, white, hispanic, etc.) and then adjust the advertisement that is being displayed.

If these cameras can actually gather reliable demographic information, then it is easy to see why marketers are so interested. Of course, critics are “concerned” about the potential invasion of personal privacy. It’s like real-time profiling, and what could be wrong with that? [note satirical undertone].

Check out the full story from the AP via the NYT. (Thanks Robin!)

Super Bowl (or Super Balls)

Comcast is scrambling after approximately 30 seconds of porn hijacked the feed for the Super Bowl in Tucson, Arizona. Apparently, they have no idea how it happened, but they were swamped with angry phone calls from customers almost instantly (duh!). The game may be over, but this one isn’t.

Read the story here.

Eyes from Above

Google makes news even when they’re trying not to. Police in Switzerland found two-acre plot of marijuana with Google Earth. Police were investigating two farms in the area that they suspected were involved with drugs when they happened upon the discovery (so it wasn’t entirely by chance). We’ve all “googled” ourselves from time to time, but this one takes it to a whole new level.

Read the full story here from Ars Technica.

A monster of a problem

Recently, the databases at Monster.com (the site for job-seekers) was compromised and hackers illegally gained access to personal data. While company officials say that the hackers did not access social security numbers, resumes, or financial data, the fact remains that personal information was stolen.

It’s not entirely clear why hackers would target Monster, but some suggest that the hackers could use the information they found to phish for more detailed personal information (and potentially gain access to financial information). Monster refuses to state which countries were most affected by the breach, so it is difficult to determine who is at risk.

Read more here.

When an MP3 player is not for music

A New Zealand man recently purchased an MP3 player from a thrift shop in Oklahoma City. The story isn’t exactly newsworthy – until you read that this MP3 player contained U.S. military files. Sure most of the information was from a few years ago (2005), but I’m guessing the military didn’t exactly want this information out in the open. The man has since returned the MP3 player to U.S. officials.

Personal portable media is an increasing security risk for more than just the military. Corporations should think long and hard about allowing their employees to hook up their iPods, USB keys, or other devices to the company network. Data can walk out the door without a second thought.

Read more on the story from the Associated Press (via Yahoo!) here.

The downfall of status

Here’s a serious story from the world of Facebook. In the UK a man became enraged after his wife changed her status to “single” on the popular network service. He was so upset that he stabbed her to death (back in March of 2008). He was recently sentenced to life in prison (minimum 17 years). Obviously, the problem is deeper than Facebook, but I have to admit, I’m not even sure what to say about this one.

Read more on the story from the BBC here.

Obama & his BlackBerry

With a changing of the guard in the U.S. finally upon us many tech pundits are interested in the changes that Obama will bring to the White House (see Wired’s recent article for example). Many are hoping that social software tools (blogs, wikis, video, etc.) will open up a new era of government transparency. There is some hope – after all, Obama used a lot of those technologies to build momentum in his bid for the presidency. But governments aren’t exactly known for nimble decision-making, so we’ll see…

The real reason for this post is to comment on Obama’s personal technology – his BlackBerry. Like other users, Obama is addicted to this communication device (CrackBerry anyone?). What’s interesting is that before his inauguration the articles suggested that he would have to abandon his favourite gadget. Now, that he’s the most powerful man in the world, indications are that he might be able to keep it. What a difference a day makes.

Obviously, the main concern is a security issue. His BlackBerry likely has GPS, which means the device could potentially be hacked, making his location easily traceable – not the best scenario in the world.

I’ve also read concerns that the data that travels over the BlackBerry network goes through servers in (gasp!) Waterloo, Ontario. Now, I know he’s the the commander-in-chief and as a rule you don’t want sensitive information going through a “foreign” company, but let’s be realistic. Is that information any more secure if it goes through servers in California? I think not. Such is the risk of using services provided by corporations…

Here’s the latest story in the Globe and Mail.

How much is your reputation worth?

Well, if you’re Belkin (manufacturer of computer cables and accessories) it may not be worth much now. According to The Consumerist, a Belkin representative has been caught trying to get users to post 5 star ratings on his company’s products on Amazon, Buy.com and Newegg. Apparently, a few Belkin products were getting lacklustre reviews, so he offered cash in exchange for good reviews.

While it may not signify the entire company is ethically bankrupt, it is clear that at least one employee is trying to artificially inflate the company’s reputation. This is an obvious case of poor ethical judgement, but it’s a case of fraud too.

As if that wasn’t crazy enough, this representative used Amazon’s own Mechanical Turk service (where companies post menial jobs that humans do better than machines) to attract potential commenters. Didn’t they imagine what would happen if they got caught? Appearing on The Consumerist blog is not generally a good thing. Damage control time.

Read more on the story here.