One Billion People's Interests Being Tracked Online by One Company

AddThis, an Internet link sharing service, tracks users interests via cookies. It is now offering parts of the data it has on 1 billion internet users to marketers.

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AddThis, one of the largest Internet link sharing services, announced Monday it had created "a digital map of the connection between people and the things they care about most," with the data of 1 billion internet users.

The map, called AddThis Analytics, was created by the link sharing company by tracking people's online interests via cookies, small pieces of text stored on a user's computer that tracks browser data, reports ReadWriteWeb.

While the knowledge that 1 billion people's online interests are being tracked might be disquieting to privacy advocates, it could provide very valuable information for marketing interests, reports ReadWriteWeb.

As of right now, the information provided regarding users interests is vague; AddThis currently only tracks things like a users interest in music and education, and it is only available through a somewhat general dashboard viewer, ReadWriteWeb reports.

However, that is subject to change, as AddThis tells ReadWriteWeb it will eventually offer more searchable and specific results on users' interests.

On its website, AddThis says: "The new AddThis Analytics is the first of many products we plan to release, leveraging our scale and this new technology, to give more value back to our publisher network."

[ouchitatom]

Since i piggy back my internet they can't track me through proxy routers and threads that supposed to be blocked from the router adhoc I skip off of on 27/7 basis.I guess people who are on land lines or pay for services need to start reading the fime print. The future fortunes to be made will be made in privacy companies that don't track or sell thier customers. AT&T are the worse to sell your information. As soon as you get on line with them your address goes out to thousands. Anyone who has home net from AT&T and won't admit it happened to them are like AT&T they are lieng they are too embarrassed to admit they were too weak in thier choice of net providers. Good Luck with them in the future.

[bigmiketownsend]

The "data" is BS. It proves nothing. Most people have no brand loyalty whatsoever. They change their interests on a daily basis. They go wherever the wind blows them. You are apt to learn more from the web surfing habits of monkeys than you are humans.

[bobnjersey]

[The "data" is BS. It proves nothing. Most people have no brand loyalty whatsoever. They change their interests on a daily basis. ]
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i disagree. it's not about 'brand loyalty' ... it's about product interest. the cookie can contain a unique id for that user ... and each add network can read that cookie ... determining who you are ... so as to tie all your actions into one relational record. it may not know your name ... but it could likely determine where you live (to your town) ... and it could track all the places you go ... what you shop for ... and if tied in with search info ... what kinds of things you focus on ... and this may not be limited to just purchases. add in you filling out an online form for any reason (registration, shopping cart, etc) and they'll have everything else about you.

the 'data' is one piece of a larger repository of information that can be used to not only profile your past actions ... but predict your future actions.

if you put me in control ... total control ... i'd make any data about a given individual their data ... and it could only be 'used' if these companies paid for it ... since there's tons of money involved in this industry ... brokering this data for 'marketers' to use.