Consumer Privacy or Economic Stability?

You’ve seen them…the advertisements on the side of your facebook wall; they appear on the side of your google search. Internet advertisements are everywhere, and I bet you’ve been noticing that the majority of them pertain to something you are interested in or have searched for online. Well, you may or may not be surprised to find that the advertisements you read next to the photos in your friend’s facebook album, are personalized for you according to your“likes,” your recent google searches, the events you’ve attended.

Recently, there have been suggestions for government regulation of corporate tracking of consumer activity on the behavior, according to the November 9th New York Times article "Stage Set for Showdown on Online Privacy." Recommendations include a “do not track” policy similar to the “do not call list” that was implemented to avoid bombardment of consumers by telemarketers.

The success of our economy is based on the success of our corporations. Thus, regulating big business may not go over as planned even if regulations are implemented. I personally, am all for implementation of privacy laws, but there are good things that come from tracking consumers online. For example, our products become more specific to what we want, because producers have the ability to obtain a better understanding of what that is.

Part of the issue with the economy at present is the widening gap between classes and income among members of the population. I blame big business for this, and I'm sure I'm not alone. As a result anything that would enhance corporate power is controversial. Still, increasing class divisions in America are due to the outsourcing of jobs and increased competition for high paying jobs, because those are all that is left. This is not an issue of Internet advertising, which – as mentioned – can be utilized to make commodities better suited for consumers. This is an issue of outsourcing our jobs and limiting the ability for average American citizens to earn a living. Still, consumers must not be taken advantage of. So, it is absolutely necessary that there be some regulations on corporate Internet tracking of consumer activity.

I am no way in favor of violations of consumer privacy. To continue a functional economy, however, I believe that a regulation which will continue to allow some tracking to provide consumers with what they want is adequate. I disagree with many aspects of globalization, and I realize that increased success of large corporations will contribute to it. But, I also understand that globalization – and the social change it has induced – is the reality of modern society and that I do reap its’ benefits. Thus, I agree with executive director of the Center forDigital Democracy, Jeff Chester, in that “I fear a policy that will undermine new pro-consumer protections of the FTC.” Yet, I believe in a “policy that will advance the competitive positions of U.S. corporations.” And so the question remains as to whether or not these two concerns can be accounted for in one Internet tracking policy.