A great post over here about Facebook’s “beyond push” advertising – Beacon.

He makes the interesting comment that;

Spying is best done surreptitiously. The Peeping Tom that you don’t see is of infinitely less concern to you than the one who taps on your window and waves.

It’s an interesting point and one which I’m sure buddy Kaila over at VortexDNA will have something to say about.

So what do we all think – are we happy to give up privacy in return for a more relevant surfing experience?

Ben Kepes

Ben Kepes is a technology evangelist, an investor, a commentator and a business adviser. Ben covers the convergence of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users.

2 Comments
  • I had a Peeping Tom once! It was horrible. I went to open the blinds, shirtless, and there was a man on the other side of the glass — bloody Venetian blinds — he was able to see right through them when I thought they were closed. I don’t know who was more startled, him or me, but we both jumped about a foot and then he ran away.

    For peace of mind, Nicholas Carr is absolutely right about spying being best done surreptitiously. For my safety, though? I’d rather know about it.

    As you know, I’m trying to tease out the real issue here… do you think privacy just means that nobody gets to see? I think it’s more important that we get to choose who gets to see.

  • I’ve never had a peeping Tom (more’s the pity 🙂 but sympathise with those who have.

    For me I’m not too concerned – what I don’t know won’t hurt me is my thinking I guess

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