Data mining & online tracking: Joseph Turow on ‘The Daily You’

Hour 1

Have you ever Googled a specific topic only to find that advertisements associated with that topic suddenly appear in your email or on your internet browser? The process by which all that happens is called “data mining” — and its what advertising agencies do to target online consumers.  Data-mining raises important legal questions about your privacy and several companies, including Google and Twitter, have been reprimanded by the Federal Trade Commission for their lax privacy measures. Google has even been forced by the FTC to disclose to its users the instances in which their information is shared with third-party groups. In his new book, “The Daily You: How the New Advertising Industry is Defining Your Identity and Your Worth,” our guest Dr. JOSEPH TUROW explores these issues and joins us to talk about the ways in which media agencies collect consumer information, generate consumer profiles, and ultimately affect the advertisements that internet users view online.

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[audio: 011312_100630.mp3]