Friday, April 20, 2018

How Pizza Night Can Cost More in Data than Dollars?





How Pizza Night Can Cost More in Data than Dollars?
Facebook data breach of 87 million users highlighted once again the vulnerability most users have with their online data. At the same time, most users do not understand how much data is shared with every online transaction with do. This recent article in WSJ uses pizza night with friend as a great example to show the amount of data  that is exchanged with the service provider, social media platform, ordering device/platform as well as phone company. For example, a user taking a selfie and posting it on Facebook shares more than just selfie. User may provide only 3 data points to Facebook while the site collects an additional 20 data points ranging from user phone to her location.

Data Provided


FACEBOOK

Uploaded photo

Text submitted with photo

Facial recognition

ADDITIONAL DATA COLLECTED

FACEBOOK

Photo analysis

Location of the photo (if included in metadata)

Date

Type of device (iPhone X)

Device ID

Device operating system

Battery level

Signal strength

Bluetooth signal

Connection speed

Available storage

App and file names and types

Nearby Wi-Fi beacons and cell towers

Nearby devices such as a TV for phone-to-TV streaming

Time zone

Mobile operator or internet service provider

IP address

Time, frequency and duration of activities

Hardware version

Software version



This is a clear signal for both consumers and digital marketer to be both aware of the amount of data being shared and collected. With increasing amount of online transactions, we need an educated consumer that understands and controls the data being shared. At the same time, tech companies have to show leadership in protecting and safeguarding consumer data from growing threats of cyber security.

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