Track THIS…!!!...Part One of Three

Its been said, When it comes to advertisements on websites, theres a fine line between nuisance and blatant privacy invasion. Sometimes its just a coincidence that you see the same ad on different websites. But other times, its more deliberate.

Recently as I browsed my favorite blog site, I began to take notice of all the cookies that were loading up as I navigated around the site. On my computer, I have an app called Ghostery that pops up a display of all the cookies that are following me around as I browse. There can be anywhere from 2 to 40 that pop up. It can be annoying in a way, because as the cookies are loading upeverything else pretty much stops. This gets really annoying when this process stopsand locks things up while it adds more cookies several times a minute.

When this happens, I like to sometimes screw with it by clicking on the pop up window to drop it downjus to have it immediately pop up again, *click*, again, *click*, again, *click* againas it persistently continues to pop back up much like the gofers on thaa gofer bashing game, as it struggles to finish loading up all the cookies. Probably prolongs the load up process truth be known.

As most probably know, cookies are cyber tracking devices. Some sites and functions will not work properly unless their cookies are accepted. These cookies track everything from sites that you visit, links that you click onto, key strokes, ads that you investigate, articles that you read, things that you buy online, to the topics and items that you search for online. Cookies are created for ad agencies or data collection agencies. They have catchy names like Adsense, Scorecard, Chart Beat, Double Click, Outbrain, Google Analytics, Appnexus, Scorecard Research Beacon, Omniture, yada yada yada.

Anyway, one of the cookie names stuck in my mind, ScorecardResearch, so I Googled it up to see what it was about. It leads to a data collection company called Full Circle Studies. They describe their business as a third party research company who uses web beacons and cookies to collect information about your use of Ning. From there, I followed the bread crumb links to a company called Ning and their Privacy Policy.

Now ah knowyer probably thinkin where da hell is he goin wit dis shiiii.? Hang onna minutethis is where the conspiracy thang begans ta get interesting.

Ning builds data collecting platforms riiiight? The italicized wording that follows are excerpts from their Privacy Policy. Underline and highlight is my own doing to bring attention to key phrases/words. This is how they explain it:

The Ning Platform enables Users to create, join or browse social networks. The Ning Platform also allows Third Party Application Developers to develop Third Party Applications for use on the Ning Platform. This Privacy Policy refers to social networks created on the Ning Platform as Networks and refers to Users who create Networks as Network Creators. Users who join a Network are Members of that Network. Network Creators are also considered Members of the Networks they create.

Pay particular attention to what it says about Third Party Application Developers. Third Party Developers are entities that can design their own programs for collecting data that are integrated into the Ning platform. There is much emphasis placed on privacy and protecting your personal information, but as I continued to readI began to wonder if this was true at all. Initially it looks like a rather routine use of confidential information

Ning or its third party payment providers use Personal Information related to your billing information solely to administer your services on the Ning Platform and to process your transactions including your purchase of Ning Product Plans, Support Services, and upgrades.

This is where my eyes began to bulgeOO

Network Creators and Third Party Application Developers might use the Ning Platform to collect, use, and retain all information, including Personal Information and Network Data, that is disclosed and uploaded by Members in connection with their use of Networks. Network Data means all data collected.

I highlighted might because you might as well replace the word with will. In essence, anyone who buys creative space to build a social network, or a Third Party who places a data gathering application on the Ning Platform is entitled to any and all data that Ning collects on this platform. Now, your personal/confidential information is being shared with other Networks, Network Creators and other Third Parties who subscribe to this platform without your express permission or your opt-out notification.

When a User signs up to become a member of a Network, he or she is providing Personal Information to that Networks Network Creator and such Network Creator and its designated administrators will have access to all Personal Information and Network Data. Network Creators and Third Party Application Developers might also collect additional types of Personal Information.

So an individual or company X starts a social network site on the Ning platform. That company AND any Third Party Application Developer may also collect additional types of Personal Information. Now here is a gotcha clause

you should check with the Third Party Application Developer regarding its policies governing its collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information.

Most people are totally unaware that they are sharing their personal and non personal information/data with other entities beyond the Social Network which they joined. How can a person check with a Third Party about their disclosure policies if no one knows they are operating in the background, out of sight?

This is what is said about Passive Data Collection. Passive data refers to non-personal un-confidential information like key strokes, links to sites etc.

"Ning automatically receives and records information on our server logs from your browser when you use the Ning Platform. We may use a variety of methods, including clear GIFs (also known as web beacons), and cookies to collect this information.

A variety of methods is deliberately vague and not limited to the examples provided. This wording creates concerns and questions for me. Againany time you read mayinsert will. May wouldnt be used unless they plan on using whatever method/app they want that best serves their need to gather information data. May easily translates to WILL in legalieeze and becomes an open ended blank check.

We also include clear GIFs in some of our email messages in order to learn whether the messages are delivered and opened.

yes, this means they can monitor (without your knowledge), whether or not you open or delete unopenedmaterial that they send to you.

Ning uses information collected by passive means in aggregated or other non-personally identifiable forms We use passively-collected information to administer, operate, and improve the Ning Platform and our other services and systems, and to provide services and information that are tailored to you.

Essentially, following you and all other users around to passively gather information , data that will be further mined and refined to profile and create better audience demographics, target buyers and better refine their already sophisticated marketing techniques. They will use your data to better target YOUthe user/consumer.

As an obscure caveat they include:

please be aware that other third parties, including advertising servers, advertising networks, web analytic services (such as Google Analytics) or Third Party Application Developers may set cookies or use other means of passively collecting information about your use of their services on the Ning Platform

Anyone who chooses to buy into and use this platform is entitled to receive this passive data, in addition to whatever specific data they may be gathering for themselves.

End of Part One of Three Parts...are ya too bored?