Week 7 EOC: Privacy issues on the web, Two companies that can spy on you

Whether people like it or not, marketers are spying on internet users every single day. They are tracking people’s clicks, activities, interests, etc. The two companies I found out that spy on me are Dictionary.com and Comcast.net. Apparently, Dictionary.com sends my browsing data to 234 different trackers. Here is what their policy reads:

 "Through cookies placed on your computer, third-party advertising networks may recognize you when you visit other sites and properties where they also place advertisements."

While other websites may plant a few cookies in order to browse my data, Dictionary.com has been known to plant over 3,000 cookies at one time. Aside from browsing data, the website can also collect demographic, financial, and health data. All this data may also be kept indefinitely.

The second company that can spy on me is Comcast.net. Just like Dictionary.com, Comcast.com has the ability to collect data such as browsing history, demographic, financial, and health data. Here is what their policy reads:  

"The third parties that provide Web Log services for Comcast may use cookies to uniquely distinguish your web browser and to keep track of the Websites that your web browser visits across the service provider's network of Websites. These companies may combine this information with other information they have independently collected."

The threat at hand is that websites such as Dictionary.com and Comcast.net can send my information to marketers which they can use to spam my phone or email inbox with deals and offers.