Privacy

[yogi]

At this stage of the Internet's development we have all been bombarded with information regarding our personal privacy. We all have our own opinions and some of us choose not to have an opinion. I'm one of those who think personal privacy regarding my activity on the public network is important. But like so many others, I know I'm fighting a losing battle and feel helpless against the invasion of data collectors. Fortunately there are people who sympathize with the privacy cause and have technical solutions. Unfortunately those solutions must be universally adopted in order for them to be effective. Read about them HERE if you are interested in what the good guys are saying.

This post is about two links in the above mentioned article that allow you to take control of the personal data collected by online behavioral advertisers. There are ways to stop these companies from collecting and storing information you think is private.

Please note: this does not turn off all internet advertising only advertisements that are customized to your likely interests based upon previous web browsing activity.

That quote from the ad choices page http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices is important to understand. You cannot turn off all ads or stop all data collection regarding your Internet presence. But you can turn off some of it.

The second link https://www.eff.org/privacybadger is to a browser extension you can use to further protect your privacy. It's a bit like AdBlocker Plus or Ghostery but better. In fact they took the code from ABP and improved upon it. I don't know if it works in all browsers, but I'd be surprised if it does not.

There may be a time when privacy will truly be enforced. But, as the article suggests, it is a ways off. They seem to think it is also a certainty because more and more people are taking an active interest in it. Thus, companies who do not protect your browsing privacy will not survive in tomorrow's Internet.

[Kellemora]

About the only advertising I block, are those which extend over something I'm working on.
If you have a 10x10 box to work in, and some sidebar advertising vertical banner flows over the box covering some of it so the usable area is only 10x8, not only do I block the ad, but I block the entire panel the ad appears in. This is usually the easiest way to get rid of inconsiderate placement by folks like Farcebook.
However, they have several that appear which are impossible to block because they are generated elsewhere and are only ghosted onto your screen, so ad block programs can't block them, they need to block the source, not a ghosted image.

As far as privacy goes. I see the Internet the same as I view the Public Airwaves. If you put it out there, anyone can see it.
What should not be able to be seen by anyone, except the recipient, is volatile data intended for them and them alone, such as a credit card number, etc.