I like cookies, like most people. While over indulgence in the sugary snack may give you a sugar crash, the ones that are the topic of this blog post may cost you a little extra money on your next online purchase.
Cookies are also small pieces of data send back and forth between your device and any website. They record activity, log outs, and help websites and advertisers tailor trends for you. Social media sites for example can use your cookies to display ad’s they think you may find relevant.
“Cookie Profiling” is what marketers use to try they think you may find relevant. Add that to lax or unclear and ambiguous rules on social media and other “helpful” sites and you could be surprised at the results.
So where do cookies get you to shed a little money?
Answer this: Would you let me look at your search history since the beginning of time or your telephone history?
The point as made earlier is some server in some country knows exactly that due to cookies.
Still not convinced?
Recall a TV show or movie where a call record or a cell phone tower was used to solve some mystery?
“But dude!! That is fiction! That stuff totally does not happen.”
Put on your Sherlock Holmes cap then:
Situation 1: X checks in on Foursquare at a restaurant on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ located on Street A, City Z. (because the restaurant promises a free drink/dish)
Inference: X is currently in this place.
A lot of online activity can create metadata or data about data. Most people reading the situation could have come to a similar inference.
Well then, say hello to Siri and Google Now!
I for one am an avid user of Google Now. It nearly knows my residential location, my workplace, stock quotes I check along with other things such as alarms and my searches, sports teams I follow, TV shows I watch etc. Add Google Wallet to this and what you have is a profile of a person with a predictive of record of where I may be at any point of time and a neat little profile of what a person’s preferences may be accurately. It recommends to me automatically restaurants, clubs, places of significance and weather conditions for my specific geographic area.
The inference being that it knows where I am and if I chart a course through maps, the route I will most probably take along with an approximate time of where I will be and at what time.
Add to that NSA surveillance (where I live though I, I do doubt that it affects me) and hackers (yeah it would be embarrassing if my Candy Crush scores got online)
The hotshots i.e. founders, CEO’s all vehemently deny this while leaks and hacks of private data ranging from celebrities to public officials continue. Weirdly enough, there have been leaks about hacking and intrusions as well.
Situation 2: X is on surfing airline websites, finding a fare from Mumbai (BOM) to Los Angeles (LAX).
Inference: X wants to travel to LA from Mumbai in a particular date range.
Funnily enough the Airline companies figure it out too. They know because of cookies lying around from previous visits. So every time the fare can go up a bit.
Why?
If he is still searching, he has most probably not found a ticket yet and the airline believes that he might pay a little more and who says no to higher income?
So for next time, clear your cache and search for tickets and deals online or better still start an “In-Private Session Window” or “Incognito Tab” on IE and Chrome respectively. They delete all cookies from your PC’s when you close the window.
Though the site may be able to track your visits by logging your IP and there is damn little you can do about it.
There is a 3 question survey if you'd like to participate & do ask others to as the higher the responses, the higher the accuracy and better the insight.
Thanks again for reading!!
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