But I've got to think that some sort of "correction" is coming along--with more people beginning to feel that these predictive intrusions are well--intrusive!
In the Target/teen pregnancy case, Target sent coupons to the girl to help her save money on baby items. If the teen was, say, older and in an established relationship, had proactively wanted to become pregnant, and had the support of her partner and family, the coupons would have been helpful. Reading between the stories' lines, the coupons forced the girl to fess up about the pregnancy before she was ready to do so. Now, people can argue the pros and cons of that and push their own morals on this girl but I don't choose to go there! There was nothing "evil" in Target's intent and, even if a human was involved in this process, I don't know that any red flags would have come off -- even if her age appeared (which it may well have done so).
That there was more concern for an individual's privacy that what you suggest:
"[B]ut organizations must walk a fine line so they don't frighten prospects or existing customers away. It is a balancing act, and corporate reputations depend on getting it right."
That may not be the intention of the collectors but i doesnt stop people from snooping around that data. Problem is that many of those collecting the data don't do much to keep it safe.
but it's complicated. Yes, people can use the personal data for bad purposes, but generally that isn't the intention, and the information can be really useful. Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
There needs to be some kind of filtering system i guess. One that uses an algorithm based on real life differentiation between what is appropriate and what is creepy. things relating to teenage pregnancy, death, and such touchy subjects cannot be left to an automated system to generate and push ads. It could easily spoil the company's reputation.
The teen pregnancy is an extreme example, but enterprises shouldn't underestimate how offensive it can be to find out that they know personal details from your life you didn't share with them, no matter how mundane.
The first example that came to mind for me was the Target/pregnant teen tale from 2012, which clearly emphasized just how much the retail chain knows about its shoppers -- and how targeted marketing campaigns can go astray. Seriously doubt Target wanted to out the teen's pregnancy when it sent her coupons for baby items, but knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
Businesses often struggle to decide which domain to use. When it comes to purchasing a domain name, you have plenty of extensions to choose from, ranging from .com and .net, to .me, and even .mobi. But which one should you pick?
I've been writing about how the next evolution of the Internet might just be an advertising revolution, and how corporate IT can stay involved as the enablers and providers of the technologies that make this possible.
In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M.
The smartphone market reached a significant milestone, a breakthrough that may cause vendors to celebrate but could strain the capabilities of IT service desks.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Expert Integrated Systems: Changing the Experience & Economics of IT In this e-book, we take an in-depth look at these expert integrated systems -- what they are, how they work, and how they have the potential to help CIOs achieve dramatic savings while restoring IT's role as business innovator. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
