HipType wants to spy on your reading

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

If they can figure out what I am going to read next from that data more power to them, I simply can't figure that out myself with that data and more. I seriously doubt that anyone with a computer is going to be able to figure that out.

You'd be surprised. That's the main reason so many people claim they don't object to advertisers tracking them: they don't realize just how much information they're giving out or just how far computer profiling has come.

[elemenoP]

Here's an interesting article on it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/ma...pagewanted=all

eP

[heySkippy]

I'm not saying marketers aren't keen on collecting data, but I'm skeptical about just how much personal information some HTML5/javascript embedded in an ibooks file can gleen from an iPad beyond my IP address and what pages and page elements I view.

[Barcey]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

News flash: Pretty much everything you do digitally can be tracked along those lines.

Search engines use your search history to target results; Google scans your email to send you appropriate ads; Netflix knows not just what's in your queue, and what you've watched, but what parts of what movies you've watched. Credit card companies also track your purchases.

And yes, ebook retailers are certainly doing the same thing.

If you don't want to be tracked, then buy paper books in a physical store, pay with cash, and never mention it to anyone.

Interesting. So you believe that if something is being done already on a massive scale then we shouldn't worry about it. It's OK for people to take electronic data just because they can. I guess that publishers and authors shouldn't worry their pretty little heads about copyright infringement either. If they don't like it they shouldn't publish. In a way I'd be OK with that. At least the ebooks on the file sharing sites could have this type of garbage removed from them.

In the mean time I'll continue to buy from indie authors that don't attach this type of baggage and I'll let my MP and Privacy Commissioner that I don't think it's OK.

[elemenoP]

Originally Posted by heySkippy

I'm not saying marketers aren't keen on collecting data, but I'm skeptical about just how much personal information some HTML5/javascript embedded in an ibooks file can gleen from an iPad beyond my IP address and what pages and page elements I view.

It's not just what the javascript collects. Let's say the javascript collects your IP address. Let's say you've filled out forms, on another site, from that ip address, and entered your email. Now your email and your IP are associated somewhere. Let's say you've made purchases on another site, using an account associated with that email address. The purchases mean you probably fall into a certain demographic or have certain habits. Now they know your IP, your email, and your demographic. Etc. Etc. Or your they could figure out your location from your IP, and get demo info from that. There is a lot of information that they can tie together from different sources.

eP

[JoeD]

The thing about data collection and analytics is that in isolation the data collected for any one purpose may be totally innocuous. It's only when it's amalgamated with additional sources that you find an entire profile of your life is now available.

There's a reason the EU recently implemented cookie laws to curb tracking without authorisation. Just a shame they made the entire law useless at the last minute by allowing implied consent.

All that aside though, ask yourself this, what are you getting in return for letting them track when/how often you read a given book or read competitors books after reading theirs. At least with loyalty cards you make a decision to give up that information in return for something.

[heySkippy]

I may have to try this for myself. It would be interesting to know how many people who open the first page also open the last page.