Data Tracking Benefits

The benefit for users involves the idea of a more intelligent web. An example of a more intelligent web involves retail.

If a user purchases an item from a retailer, the retailer likely tracks the purchase along with all other users who have purchased this item, and all other purchases made with the item. Data tracking allows the company to pool together the data and perform analytical studies, which can help create trends between their sales. The trends can then be used to introduce sales for specific customers, based on their purchases.This is just one example of a user benefit.

The benefit for companies relates in a similar way. Companies can send ads to specific customers who's online activity matches the product they sell. This can help companies advertise in a much more precise way than paying for an expensive billboard which may or may not reach a potential client. The data can be retrieved much faster than sifting through surveys, which may contain false information. Data tracking doesn't lie. Another significant advantage of data tracking deals with big data and the medical field. Imagine if every patient's treatment was recorded along with how successful or unsuccessful the treatment was, then all that data was placed into a database. The information could then be analyzed and the most effective treatment could be used on every patient, removing more uncertainty from each procedure. Two further examples of Data tracking that can be seen as both a caveat and/or benefits are Net Neutrality and Filter Bubbles. The caveats involved with data tracking should still be considered before assuming this is simply a win-win situation.

Related Topics: Data Tracking | Privacy | History | Personal Experiences

Resources
[1] Mayer, J. R., & Mitchell, J. C. (2012). Third-Party Web Tracking: Policy and Technology. 2012 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy. doi:10.1109/sp.2012.47 [2] Singleton, M. (2013, December 03). Why You Want to Be Tracked Online. Retrieved March 28, 2017, from http://www.techlicious.com/tip/why-you-want-to-be-tracked-online/

[2] Singleton, M. (2013, December 03). Why You Want to Be Tracked Online. Retrieved March 28, 2017, from http://www.techlicious.com/tip/why-you-want-to-be-tracked-online/