Now, Google is watching your online and offline Transactions
Google is tracing your online and offline steps
While using Google products like Gmail, its search engine, Maps and YouTube has become our daily habits, the online giant in return has been siphoning off our personal data to mint money.
Google Attribution, which is its latest offing to its online marketers, is no different and is causing a mass uproar from critics as a violation of privacy.
Here's all about it.
Eyes: Wherever you go, it's there
The online giant said on its blog that it
can see if the online ads of marketers are bearing fruit by tracking
credit card transactions, even if the payments are made offline,
sparking off fresh debates on the extent which Google uses and breaches
personal information of users.
Google cited that in US it processes almost 70% of the credit and debit card transactions.
Google cited that in US it processes almost 70% of the credit and debit card transactions.
Impact: Personal data equals to valuable marketing information
The
multibillion-dollar advertising giant Google via Attribution aims to
answer the pertinent question in the mind of every online advertiser,
"Is my marketing working?", by gauging both online and offline
activities.
It says this service "makes it possible for every marketer to measure the impact of their marketing across devices and across channels -- all in one place, and at no additional cost."
It says this service "makes it possible for every marketer to measure the impact of their marketing across devices and across channels -- all in one place, and at no additional cost."
Data: The problem is a deep-rooted one
Google already
collects data from its users through AdWords, Google Analytics, and
DoubleClick Search; it is also capable of collecting location
information from smartphones to check if the user has bought the product
it has researched for or seen in an online advertisement.
Now its admission, that its "third-party partnerships" are capable of snooping around credit/debit transactions, is disturbing, to say the least.
Now its admission, that its "third-party partnerships" are capable of snooping around credit/debit transactions, is disturbing, to say the least.
Concern: Extending 'creepy' into the physical world
Renate Samson from Big Brother Watch was
quoted saying, "The one thing people regularly state as 'creepy' online
is when an advert follows them around the Internet. These plans appear
to extend 'creepy' into the physical world."
Although monitoring of credit/debit information is limited to US for now, it will soon roll out to other parts of the world, believe privacy campaigners.
Although monitoring of credit/debit information is limited to US for now, it will soon roll out to other parts of the world, believe privacy campaigners.
Measures: How can you avoid this snooping around?
Google users do
have the option to limit their data sharing by unchecking the dialogue
box that reads
and delete their location history to deter tracking.
Most of the netizens are not aware of these measures, therefore, very few apply them.
Also use Google Account activity and information to personalize ads on these websites and apps and store that data in your Google Account
and delete their location history to deter tracking.
Most of the netizens are not aware of these measures, therefore, very few apply them.
Privacy matters: We can't take words at their face value
Google waved a
white flag, saying,
It doesn't undermine the fact that every day we are handing over a disturbing amount of data virtually to entities, which don't exactly care much about our privacy if it comes in between their goal of making more money.
Source:- NewsBytes
To accomplish this, we developed a new, custom encryption technology that ensures users' data remains private, secure, and anonymous.
It doesn't undermine the fact that every day we are handing over a disturbing amount of data virtually to entities, which don't exactly care much about our privacy if it comes in between their goal of making more money.
Source:- NewsBytes
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