What do we do when bombarded with over 200 marketing messages before you arrive at work in the morning?
We tune out.
But technology is working against that problem while continuing to erode personal privacy.
Soon, malls across the country will implement new technology to serve customers and boost the bottom line. Plasma screens will analyze a customer’s features to determine age, gender, and ethnic background. Stores can then gear advertising to a customer’s personal profile.
I often hear people say, “What’s the big deal if I get more relevant offers?”
That’s true in this particular context, but what’s not being taken into account is what happens down the line when these “personal profiles” have been constructed, stored, and combined with other personal data, and impact decisions about jobs, healthcare, insurance and more.
Databases are often wrong, and they never forget.