Are our computers making spying possible? CC by Hodgers/Flickr
BlueKai, Inc. was the focus of a debate Tuesday. The Bellevue, Wash-based data exchange outfit rose among the hottest web topics after the Wall Street Journal quoted BlueKai’s CEO in an article about Internet surveillance. The article, number one in a series, says that cookies are “spying on consumers” when the programs gather data on browsing habits. Disagreeing with the Journal’s stance, BlueKai CEO Omar Tawakoi said that it is damaging to the online industry when cookies are called spying.
BlueKai cookie data tracks browsing habits
In 2008 BlueKai was a start-up created to carve a marketing niche online in “data exchange.” TechFlash reports that BlueKai cookies on leading travel, automotive and retail sites compile anonymous customer data. Online auctions created by BlueKai invite bids on the data from advertisers. Because BlueKai cookies track browsing habits, advertisers pay to target people who have shown they might be interested in a particular vacation destination, car model, etc.
Data exchange a rapidly growing industry
Every day, according to the Wall Street Journal, BlueKai puts 50 million bits of data about individual browsing habits on the data exchange. The series of reports is billed as a saga about how spying on Internet users has become a bigger, more intrusive business than most people suspect. A Journal study of the nation’s top 50 websites found that an average of 64 cookies per user were installed without warning. Location, income and shopping interests — even medical conditions — are recorded by the cookies. Companies such as BlueKai package and market the customer profiles on data exchanges that work like the stock market.
BlueKai CEO defends the use of cookies
In a post on Advertising Age, Tawakoi rebutted the Journal’s argument. Tawakoi said cookies give advertisers the flexibility to show consumers ads they are more likely to be interested in, as well as control the frequency with which they are presented. The revenue ensures that content providers are compensated. Calling cookies spying is misleading at best and detrimental to the success of an emerging industry at its worst, he said. Making the online data collection process more transparent, which BlueKai does already with an online registry, is the solution he offers. BlueKai’s online registry offers to show consumers the information that cookies gather about them and lets them set preferences about what the company is allowed to use.
It is very frustrating to know that your privacy is being invaded while online. I was starting to become mad at Verizon wireless for booting me off of certain websites ( such as Hot Rod.com , Car Craft.com, etc) and remotely powering down my Samsung Rfoue phone…..Untill I realized that they were actually protecting me from unwanted Bluekai tracking cookies! At first, I didn't understand why I was being booted/powered down, but I figured out that, they were powering down the phone to clear the phone's DNS resolver cache, and to clear the floating online server connection of this potential malware. Admittedly a bit frustrating at times, but I would rather NOT have my mobile browser loaded with spyware/tracking cookies. I would like to contact the web administrators for SourceInterlink Media ( Parent company for the above referenced magazine websites ) And as a subscriber to those magazines, request that they remove the Bluekai "Tagging" from their sites. Especially since I do NOT appreciate being spyed on!
I hear that, the same thing shows up on no matter what website I go to. It's so frustrating… I just want to surf the web with out that message popping up every two seconds!
I have a very vexing problem every time that I click on a listing in EBAY. Apparently a hijacking is underway and I get sent to a page that says 'http://tags.bluekai.com/site/50%3Fret%3Dhtml' is not found. The URL has been changed to something with http://tags.bluekai.com/site/50 in it. I have tried McAfee, Microsoft Fix it, a set of commands on the microsoft web site to get rid of the hijacker but to no avail. I find the NIA and opted out of all of the members – but the bluekai member was the only one that didn't have a green check box next to it. This is starting to P_ _ _ Me Off.
A new cookie counter. Just what the world needs. I read an article earlier today where (mac?) has an all cookie stopper installed on it and microsoft is feeling some pressure to also allow full cookie tracking blocking. Invasion of privacy is everywhere these days.