When we
think of what goes into a typical cookie, we typically come up with harmless ingredients
such as flour, sugar, eggs, and chocolate chips. But what goes into an Internet
cookie? Surprisingly, you can summarize it into one ingredient; your privacy.
The base
internet cookie is a small file that stores online information such as your
login, shopping cart, and your browsing history for a specific website. Just
like with edible cookies, Internet cookies come in different types; however,
the base cookie is the same.
First-party
cookies are cookies that are created from the website that you are currently visiting.
These are generally considered safe and help to create a better user experience
when visiting the same website by facilitating login and remembering what you
were shopping for. The danger to your privacy, however, comes from the other
type of cookie.
Third-party
cookies are cookies that are created by websites other than the one that you
are currently browsing. For example, if you go to a website such as the NY
Times you will get a cookie from NY Times and possibly another cookie from an
advertising company. The advertising company can then track what websites you
are visiting and personalize ads towards you. The dangerous part of this all is
that you did not consent to this third party storing your browsing history.
This data
privacy breach comes back to Moors article and how we must be more proactive
when thinking of the ethics of new technology. A simple question of “should we
be storing an individual’s data without their permission” could have prevented
this. However, in 2018 a law called the General Data Protection Regulation was
enacted only in the European Union that says companies/websites must make sure
users know what information is being stored about them.
This
resulted in cookie notifications that popup right when the user loads a
website. However, the information is either too complicated to read or is not
right in front of you; no one has time to read whole privacy policies. This comes
back to the idea of “bullshit” because the company does not care whether the
user understands the privacy policy, they just want to be able to store your information.
As you can see in the examples, they market it as giving you a “better browsing
experience” but do not even mention the third-party implications.
The GDPR in the EU is a great example of government actually passing policy that attempts to grapple with information technology ethics retroactively. I would suggest elaborating more on the James Moor reading and how he discusses "policy vacuums"; I think it could add to your argument.
ReplyDeleteHi Meelan, your post does a nice job relating your intended audience, as most people have seen those notifications. You should also get rid of your last sentence and replace the examples link as a picture. The picture will add some variety to your post and convey the same point. It would also make a good thumbnail for your title.
ReplyDeleteI think the title of your post really is very interesting. Yet, it is a simple question but it led me to wanting to read your post. I really liked the idea that you started off with the ingredients in a cookie and then to the Internet cookie. Also, I could see that you had a pretty solid conclusion of your main point of view on the topic. I also agree with everyone else, that you should add some photos to the post.
ReplyDeleteYour title and hook were very creative! It was a simple but effective reminder that not everyone is familiar with digital cookies. I would suggest pushing your main idea of the article higher in the post so that once it is set up, you can then use the cookies and idea of privacy to elaborate. Also, it is important to not make assumptions that the reader has read the content or is familiar with the subjet matter so be weary when using phrases such as "comes back to...".
ReplyDeleteI really liked this piece! You did a great job catching my attention and keeping me hooked. I especially appreciated that you took the time to explain what an internet cookie is as the reader may not know. My suggestion would simply be to add links to outside sources when you reference information from outside the readings such as GDPR in case the reader would like more information on the subject.
ReplyDeleteYour introduction to this topic was great and effective at describing what a cookie did and its role in a user's infosphere. Some suggestions would be to add some visuals or links to get more information on the topic, but the way that each paragraph was formatted was fantastic.
ReplyDeleteYour analogies and overall descriptions were really good, and I liked how you made everything show a point, as letting your personal voice show in blogging is important. I think that adding pictures would just be the cherry on the cake, as it would strengthen your analogies with visual context.
ReplyDelete