I find the gowing amount of data that sites collect and the comparitive responsibilty they feel to protect users privacy very interesting. There is a fundamental conflict with the goal of more effectively reaching an audience and not using personal data for more targeting adversiting purposes. Where is the line at which companies know too much? The phishing of customer data becomes increasingly concerning with services like Facebook Connect that share data with other sites. As this business week article effectively points out in many cases it is not the act of using customer info that is disconcerting but that often people are unaware of the amount of data they are sharing. There is clearly a gap between how people younger than me and people of my parents generation feel about sharing personal data. Will that attitude change as things like jobs and families change people’s priorities? Will it be too late considering the trove of personal information many people are already putting out on the web.
