Using the Internet Safely For Seniors

In fact, you’re still paying for these services, but what’s changed is the

currency — you no longer pay in dollars; instead, you pay in loss of

privacy.

As you provide information online, it’s important that you consider

which parts are sold, bought, or simply taken, and you should under-

stand how that information may be used to create potential outcomes.

Then you can select your comfort level and act accordingly.

What Information Do Others Want, and Why?

Just about every piece of information about you has value: which soft

drink you buy, what kind of car you drive, your income bracket, your

medical information, your musical tastes, and even what kind of mood

you’re in today.

Some of this information is useful for

➟ Making the service better for you.

➟ Selling you products or services.

➟ Scoping out the user demographics of sites, again with

the goal of designing and targeting products or serv-

ices more successfully to consumers. (See Figure 2-2.)

➟ Employers or insurers who want to check your back-

ground or search your medical history, for example.

They may search (or hire a company to search) for

your information, unbeknownst to you.

Some people feel that more targeted advertising simply makes sense —

you avoid seeing ads for things that are useless or even offensive to you.

However, there’s also the seedy side of the Internet, which includes

criminals who compile catalogs of information about people who just

bought expensive electronics. They can sell this information to thieves.

25

Chapter 2: How the Internet Views You