The Big Web is Watching

I came across Clutzr recently, which offers a social networking service that allows people to view your clickstreams (essentially where you’ve been on the web). In other words, the public at large can basically monitor every move you make on the Internet. And yet rather than consider this a really BAD idea, the makers wrapped a cute blue bubble around their package and calls it a whole bowl of delicious fun.

I know there are privacy settings that you can add, but gees. If I were doing some innocuous surfing, that’s one thing, but if I’m having a really bad day and I’m googling the keywords “how to hire a hitman,” I probably don’t want too many people to know about it. Besides, do I really want to spend a day surfing online dating sites like I usually do, with the knowledge that people viewing my clickstream will be snickering at my desperation, and then rolling over with laughter when my hours of love searching finally leads me to an article titled Loneliness: Bane of the Christian Single?

I think not.

Tags: bad day, bad idea, bane, christian single, clickstream, clutzr, desperation, internet, laughter, loneliness, love, privacy, social networking, social networking service, web, web surfing
Categories: Comic Relief, Romance and Relationships

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5 Responses to “The Big Web is Watching”

Jon wrote a comment on May 12, 2007 @ 01:08:pm
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For some people, privacy will always be a concern, but not everyone.

Web behavior is moving in a direction where people are more willing to give us aspects of their privacy to get services in return.

Although, if your googling “how to hire a hitman”, Google is already recording that, and every other search you’ve ever done, and creating their own profile of you, and tailoring their advertising to that.

Anonymity on the web never existed … so why not make use of your “web history” in a way that gives you some something back? I mean it’s your data, you own it.

Lincoln Adams wrote a comment on May 12, 2007 @ 09:42:pm
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True, Google does monitor your search habits if you let em, but that’s a little different from letting the whole world know where you’ve been going. It’s not so much anonymity than it is enjoying an acceptable level of privacy when you go surfing.

I’ll be fair and say I can certainly see some benefits to your service, especially for people who have common interests and need to resolve common issues (like a developer working on code, and surfing halfway around the world for relevant info to help him debug a script). A clickstream from him could certainly prove highly useful to other likeminded developers.

Though for a bum like me, I don’t see how my usual routine of checking the latest photos from Jessica-Alba.com and then surfing 30+ matchmaking sites can be of much use to anyone. :innocent:

Jon wrote a comment on May 22, 2007 @ 01:35:pm
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Well your clickstream may not be “useful” to anyone, but may be of interest to your friends and/or family.

Virtually all new social-services have the same initial reaction: “who cares?”. I mean, when blogging came out people used to say “who cares what people think?”…

I think the explosive popularity of social services proves that people, in fact, do care.

Lincoln Adams wrote a comment on May 22, 2007 @ 05:58:pm
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Psychotherapists may find my clickstream fascinating too.

As for people caring, they said the same thing about Twitter too. But if you’re interesting enough, no matter what venue you use to communicate with others online, people WILL listen.