Online Activity Tracking & The Internet of Things
Computer Science: OCR GCSE, topic 1.6.16
Online Activity Tracking
Many people have concerns about how their online activity is tracked. It is now easy to track activity such as:
Websites you have visited
- Using cookies, it is possible to track your Internet history.
- Advertisers sometimes use this to show you relevant adverts.
- There is a lack of regulations about tracking data, which has led to some companies tracking data without permission.
Search terms you have used
- Your search terms are tracked, and often used in marketing.
What you have purchased
- Purchased items are often recorded and sold to advertisers who might wish to advertise similar products to you.
Positives of activity tracking
- Although adverts can appear to be an annoyance, their presence allows most services to be made freely available to users.
- In schools or workplaces, activity tracking can prevent dangerous actions from taking place, keeping users safer while online.
- Activity tracking can also be used to investigate cybersecurity incidents. They can help to identify the causes and the effects of the incident ,so those can be prevented in the future.
The Internet of Things
The Internet of Things is a fairly new but fast-growing concept where a network of physical devices and appliances can connect and exchange data.
The Internet of Things
- The Internet of Things (IoT) relates to a concept where computer systems are integrated into every day objects, so that they can all exchange data.
Privacy concerns
- With the advent of mobile devices, and the IoT, it is now easy to record data such as:
- Your location and movement habits (using GPS).
- What you look like (using facial recognition).
- There are some concerns about governments using the IoT to perform surveillance on citizens.
Test yourself on Online Activity Tracking & The Internet of Things
What is a lot of activity data used for?
How can the Internet of Things know what you look like?
How does the Internet of things learn more about your schedule and movement habits?