In class, we've mentioned marketing tools that allowed companies access to which link a person clicked on, where they went after visiting the webpage, what type of browser they are using...etc... All this wealth of information is a very good tool for a company to understand their consumers needs and online habits are. Being able to access information an all users instead of just a sample size gives the company a more accurate perception of their target market. While the tools are helpful to the company, to the consumers it's a scary thing.
For someone to see what you do on webpages, how long you stay, the idea seems big brotherish. And the idea of a website gathering so much information on a person, isn't common knowledge to the consumer. At work I showed my coworkers just how much information I could find by just knowing their name and the neighborhood where they lived. Sometimes all I needed was a phone number to track someone's personal information was online. Many of them were shocked that I could find so much information on the web. If normal consumers are oblivious to that simple fact, there is no way they realize that websites are gathering such precise information about what they do online. Tracking someone's movements without their knowledge in what they assume to be in the privacy of their own home or office... that's an major invasion of privacy. I believe if companies wish to rely heavily on online marketing tools, the consumers need to be made aware of what is happening and have the option to opt out.
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