Cookie! Cookie! Yum! Yum!

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.

(If Apple users are jumping in glee, read this.)

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.

Click here if you want to take it.

Thanks again for reading!!

What’s in a Click?

Can a simple Google search for say iPhone 6 lead you to Samsung’s webpage? Can a search for an airline ticket consistently lead to a higher price to be paid? The answer is yes.

Like a status , retweet a tweet, send an e-mail, or just upload a picture with #Selfie and some computer somewhere is keeping track of it. Nearly every click somewhere is feeding some algorithm trying to place an ad strategically to get you to lighten your wallet.

A 2009 report states that Dominos USA planned to sell $1 Billion in online sales through its website and mobile applications. This figure was achieved and now 60% of sales come through these apps and the website in the UK. The convenience of not facing an IVR and not trying to guess which number to press are of course added advantages (I personally find it easier to solve complex calculus while playing Eine Kleine Nachtmusik).  It also saves the company money on staff costs.

The point is Google, Facebook, Twitter Microsoft and an endless list of companies is somehow trying to get you to buy something. Try it out search for an airline ticket from Point X to Point Y and the next page you open will most probably have an airline ad (in case you are feeling kind , most ads I get are generally about video game consoles & books) More on this later.

Facebook for example can track all your browsing history in case you have signed in on one tab. Google tracks your search history & gets your mail read. Microsoft of course does not because let’s face it, no one uses Bing! (I do recommend that one tries the Translator on Bing!).

To cut a long story short, and to stop this irrelevant collection of facts and opinions, this is a blog about how Big Data, E-Commerce, Search & Social Media play an incognito role in affecting our choices and help manufacturers make products we may like.

Thank You for reading this. I do hope that you did learn something new from here. Do check back later for there will be new content.