Sunday, May 13, 2012

Internet Tracking

http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_kovacs_tracking_the_trackers.html
This video starts by explaining to the audience that there is a problem that is affecting everyone who uses the internet, and the majority of internet users have no idea that the problem even exists. The speaker, Gary Kovacs  the CEO of the Mozilla Corporation, starts off by alerting the audience that there are companies that make their revenue by tracking every move you make online. For every website a user visits there are many other websites that track all your data you enter on these websites. They record names, birth dates, usernames, passwords, and all other personal information you enter on websites. He reassures the audience that data tracking is not completely evil, and can be beneficial when it is used properly and asks for the user's consent. He explains that it can be used to suggest new books, movies, and products that the user may be interested in. However, he claims that when data tracking is done without the user's consent it becomes a form of stalking. One technique he uses to persuade the audience of his position on the matter is an analogy that appeals to the audience's emotions, or the pathos. He claims that "if there were a person stalking our children with a camera and a notepad recording their every move, that every person in the room would take immediate action". He then ends his speech by notifying the audience of program's they can install on their computer's in order to take action against the internet trackers.

1 comment:

  1. I definitely feel the emotional appeal in this piece. It is an acknowledgement to the fact that people are being watched and tracked constantly and the quote about stalking brings that to the light. I notice the reference to "Hansel and Gretel" adds to the unknowing innocence of the internet. It seems often assumed just because people cannot see others watching them that they are not being watched. The use of the diagram that reveals sites that track people's interenet usage is emotionally shocking. The fact that Kovacs continually brings up his daughter adds to the emotional appeal being used.

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