STOP Consumer Trafficking's Jason Gaylord enters day 17 of his 31 day vigil to raise awareness about the pervasive invasion and sale of our personal privacy by Big Internet companies.
BOTHELL, Wash., July 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week we want to focus on "informed" consent. When people decide to use a search engine, social network or app, they rarely ever read the Privacy Policy or Terms of Use. They don't understand that, by clicking "AGREE," they are agreeing to the taking and selling of everything they do online. They think no one is watching, but the Internet companies providing the "free" services are always watching, gathering and selling every bit of information they can.
People are shocked when they find out how much intimate information Internet companies have about them, including their behaviors, their habits, their desires, their health, their families and their friends. People cry foul and wonder if this privacy invasion is even legal. Imagine their dismay when they discover that they actually "consented" to this invasion.
People give up far more than bargained for when they click "AGREE." They don't realize they are providing Internet companies and advertisers with a window into their personal life, giving them an unprecedented ability to analyze and manipulate their behavior and buying decisions. "Google and Facebook take our information and sell it to companies like Amazon who then target consumers with ads based on the information we post on social networks and search engines," said Gaylord. "They are selling our lives, not just our data. They sell our emotions, our desires and our aspirations to companies that market to us endlessly, and we are giving this information away for free."
"We need to shine a light on this trafficking of consumer data," said Gaylord. "We fought against telemarketers, spam and other intrusive behaviors because we could see them. If people actually understood what was happening with Consumer Trafficking, they would be angry, they likely wouldn't sign up and they would want to fight back."
"The Internet is moving at the speed of light and is rapidly eroding our privacy. We assume the rights we expect and enjoy in the real world exist online, but they do not. We need to fight back, demand transparency, re-claim our online identities and aggressively protect our privacy."
Join the movement by visiting www.stopconsumertrafficking.com/TakeAction.aspx.
Media Contact
STOP Consumer Trafficking
c/o Localloop
Contact Jack Kindred: 425-315-7048
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.StopConsumerTrafficking.com
SOURCE STOP Consumer Trafficking
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