Data mining: fordele, ulemper og privatliv

The text explains that there are many different services that record everything we do on the internet, what sites we look at, what search words we use, what we buy and even what we write in emails. It explains how all the information is processed to create a profile that makes it possible to target us with advertisements suited for our interests. A spokesman for a data mining company explains that it is a beneficial arrangement for both consumer and advertiser, but the director of an open rights group is disconcerted by the fact that they are gathering so much information she fears that it will compromise the individual’s privacy on the internet. The spokesman for Phloem, a data mining company, explains how they aren’t storing any specific information on any users, but instantly erases the information after registering what category, the web site the user is visiting, is in. The text explains that data mining isn’t a new phenomenon the supermarket Tesco started using data mining in 1995 when they started the Club card campaign, which made them were able to discern a lot of information about who were buying what and when, that had great uses as an advertising tool. According to the text, corporations aren’t the only ones using data mining the government is using it as well. In the UK, Revenue and Customs has a department with more than 600 employees that use data mining to spot potential tax evaders. According to the text some people anxious, including the inventor of the internet, that data mining companies will share their information with the highest bidder and thus negating the privacy of the individual. The ISP AOL once posted a text with online search keywords used by 650,000 of its users. They anonymised the usernames, but the New York Times was still able to ferret out one of the usernames by using the keywords.