The Advertisers are Watching You

Slashdot mentions that the New York Times is covering a story about the information Internet advertisers are collecting about you.

A new analysis of online consumer data reveals that large web companies are learning more about people from what they search for and do on the Internet. The information is then used to forecast what content and advertisements people would likely want to see.

Consumers have not yet complained much about online data collection but privacy experts say that it is because they the data collection is invisible to them.

"When you start to get into the details, it's scarier than you might suspect," said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a privacy rights group. "We're recording preferences, hopes, worries and fears."

See the story in the New York Times at To Aim Ads, Web Is Keeping Closer Eye on You.