NEWSLETTER #70 I MAY 28, 2017 No Images? Click here
The advertising industry's obsession with tracking us and collecting and selling information about us took a nasty turn this week. It was revealed that Google is not just following us online, they are also tracking us in the real world. They are stalking us through our credit card transactions to see when and where we shop and what we are buying. This raises three questions: As usual, there is probably some language buried deep in the incomprehensible legal jive we agree to that allows this intrusion into our privacy. According to The Washington Post, Google... "...declined to detail how the new system works or what companies are analyzing records of credit and debit cards on Google’s behalf....Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center said, 'What’s really fascinating to me is that as the companies become increasingly intrusive in terms of their data collection, they also become more secretive.'" There is so much wrong with this, I don't even know where to start. Walt Mossberg, who has been one of the most articulate and influential tech writers for over two decades, wrote his last column this week. In it he said... "...we need much, much stronger standards for security and privacy than now exist... it’s time to stop dancing around the privacy and security issues and pass real, binding laws." As I've mentioned, I'm writing a book about this subject. A few weeks ago I participated in a debate about ad tech and tracking at the World Federation of Advertisers conference in Toronto. You can watch my opening argument from that debate here. Marketers' Delusions It has become very trendy in marketing and advertising circles to recklessly exaggerate the role of brands in peoples' lives. Attend any marketing conference and you are sure to hear boatloads of tedious nonsense about "brand purpose," "brand values," and "brand love." As if people have nothing else to think about except which brand of peanut butter or paper towels is more "authentic" and aligns with their personal values. According to an article in MediaPost "Two-thirds of agency professionals believe that changing American values are causing brands to become more interested in corporate responsibility and values-based marketing..." The only problem is that for the most part consumers don't give a flying shit about self-important corporate moralizing. A study commissioned by the 4As found that "the majority of consumers (58%) dislike when brands get political." This week, the CMO of the 4As, Alison Fahey, said, “Consumers are not looking to brands to take a position on political or social issues...In fact, there’s typically more risk than benefit.” Which, you may remember, is exactly what we said here a few weeks ago. More Security Baloney Samsung recently introduced the Galaxy 8 smartphone. It uses "biometrics" in the form of iris recognition for bulletproof security. "The patterns in your irises are unique to you and are virtually impossible to replicate, meaning iris authentication is one of the safest ways to keep your phone locked and the contents private," says Samsung. Yeah, right. A group of hackers from the Chaos Computer Club broke into a Galaxy 8 in a few hours using just a camera, a printer, and a contact lens. Remember -- everything you read from tech companies about security or privacy is 100% undiluted horseshit. |