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comment by user-inactivated
user-inactivated  ·  3537 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Ask Hubski -What do you think of this idea? Wisely Harnesses Spending For A Local Business Guide

I understand where you are coming from and that it is a good and a bad thing, but what is there really to do? For the most part, most of what I've read here is news and it is a strong issue. It just feels terrible to have to sit around and wait to see if your ideas will/can be heard by like-minded people. They certainly exist, but are they actually a big enough group to make a difference?

What I'm trying to get at here is this :are we really the minority here? I may be fairly apathetic (no, this isn't a good thing, but I have trouble finding the time to have an educated opinion on these things) to most news nowadays (honestly I have no idea how I should view the real issue, there's so much information to read), but I feel there must be a move to be made or a way around it. Humans in general can be innovative, right? Maybe I'm not the best example, but some are great at figuring ways around things and helping others do the same to some degree. You know, making a way to get around what we don't like? I'm not necessarily endorsing running around the law, but from what I know that's how things have gone in the past and I don't really see a huge problem with it.

I don't necessarily trust corporations with my data, for the most part I let them have it because the negative of boycotting it completely is debilitating to my social life and also hurts how I know what my friends are up to in general. I want to stay in touch with a fairly selective group of people, but calling his/her home phone is no longer acceptable or enjoyable. The way it works for me is that I text them, then I call their cell, and if that doesn't work, I facebook message them. My friends will usually answer in an hour or two, and we will figure out plans. Even Hubski makes it easier to meet new people if you fine with the people you are interacting with. For some reason meeting people over the net has become a lot less...creepy and sketchy I guess? My main challenge is how to separate the websites that I use to keep in touch/meet new people and keeping track of my habits. Is that so impossible?

I know this was a bit of a rant, but insomniasexx you seem to think everything is going to be fluidly functioning with all of the behavioral trackers working with the same company or corporation. Or that we will no longer have any kind of natural privacy rights if they are able to implement what they plan to do. But in my opinion, if we are going to have our information tracked anyways, shouldn't we at least split it up to create a balance on who controls the information? And also, is that even possible anymore with the way that, again in my opinion, that we seem somewhat powerless in the decisions that the federal and state governments may decide?

I'm confused about this whole ordeal. And my ideas may seem convoluted. It's late and I'm just 'trying to communicate my ideas as clearly as possible. I've read the article. I might be going on a tangent here, but we have so much potential for what the internet can do. This is one of them, he is right. Personalizing advertising and knowing exactly what you might want has fantastic potential. However, does this come at the cost of creativity? Everything has a "risk" and a "reward." How are we to tell exactly how these actions will affect society, other than what we think will change our lives positively or negatively?

I feel like I'm missing something important here. Totally went off topic there, oops. Hopefully someone will be able to make sense of what I just said.