What Does Google Know About You?
Google Blogoscoped points us to a list of things Google knows about you, or more accurately, a list of data which has passed through Google's servers. Of course, the same data, and much more, passes through your ISP, and in the same vein, through the telephone companies lines, through which also passes through classified conversations and phone sex, so the whole list is kind of silly. But it did make me realize something. Google Adsense lets users of blogs now monetize their daily ramblings, by posting ads relevant to what they are talking about. Advertisers pay small amounts of money that add up considerably to get people to check out their ads. I hate spam as much as the next guy, but what if I could sell my info to companies, making money off telling them what I want to buy? They would be getting info on the fact that I want roller blades, they would all pay for that info, and I could take that money and the information they send me on roller blades and use it to buy them. Win-win if you ask me. Obviously, the more money you have the more they would pay to market to you, and even selling to a lot of companies might only net a few bucks, but cutting a few dollars off the price of anything just so the companies can market directly to you seems a fair deal. Thoughts?

- posted by Nathan Weinberg @ 8/30/2004 12:15:00 AM