How Privacy Vanishes Online

Online social networks have become the easiest way for both criminals and organizations to track and analyze the information we provide to the public. This information can be used to draw several inferences about our daily habits, communication styles, spending habits, or in the most exteme cases even to determine ones social security number. In an article published last year researchers from Carnagie Mellon university displayed how they were able to determine the social security numbers for 8.5 percent of people born in the United States between 1989 and 2003. This is an unnerving piece of information to come across. There is talk of creating a do not track list similar to the government installed do not call list. The internet being such a comprehensive data mechanism may make it nearly impossible to fend off all attempts to access personal information. For marketers developing genomes of consumer data to identify target markets can be a key tool in gaining a competetive advantage over competition. We are all consumers in the greater scheme of things and that is why we must consider if the benefits outway the potential consequences of having our information stagnent in public view via online social networks.