Thursday, March 14, 2019

DON'T SWEAT IT


Do you see me here?

There seems to be more than a little concern about our social-media giants, specifically Google and Facebook, compiling information about their users for advertising or other nefarious purposes.  Personally, I’m not too worried.  Here’s why. 

I am a frequent reader of something called Google News; every morning I grab a cup of coffee and plop down in my favorite chair, to see what’s going on in the world.  Google News brings you links to current journalism, under topics such as Headlines, World, Entertainment, Sports, Tech, Health, etc.  They also have a section titled: For You: Based on Your Interests.

Based on the articles Google offers me under that rubric, it obviously believes that I am:
            A Millennial
            Female
            About to interview for a new job
            Vitally interested in Robin Williams and Ariadne Grande

So that’s why I don’t worry much about my personal profile.  Also, Google sometimes presents a user with “Local” news.  For that purpose  on occasion they have concluded that I live in San Jose, Portland, and – usually when I’m not there – Borrego Springs!.

No comments:

Post a Comment