Ever wonder about those all-too-prescient ads that seem to follow us everywhere online? This series gets into what's behind them and what they tell us about how our data is used
Transcript
Davis: I just moved a couple months ago to a brand new apartment and I’m in the process of saving up for new furniture so I’ve been spending many many hours looking around at accent chairs. And I will give you three guesses as to what ads are now tracking me around the internet so I find that pretty creepy, I’m not sure about you, and I wanted to talk to one of the leading experts I know on the topic about why and how this happens. So I’d like to welcome our guest for the series, David Huerta. Hi, David. If you could say hello share a little bit about yourself and maybe what ads are attracting you these days.
David: Sure thing. I’m David Huerta. I work as a Digital Security Trainer over at Freedom Of The Press Foundation which involves teaching journalists how to protect their research and communication and keeping it safe from online surveillance. As far as ads go, I’ve recently gotten into cast iron cooking, and lately there’s been some nicer thoughtfully-designed pans that have been following me around the web. I don’t mind those so much, but I do wonder how those ads seem to know exactly what I want to buy.
Davis: So if you’re watching this video at work or at home or on your commute, take a minute to reflect: have you ever wondered why these ads are following us online and what that can mean about the data that’s available about us on the internet? And have you ever wondered what to do about that. We’re in luck because our next video will cover how and why these ads are tracking us and then we’ll get into what we can do to prevent this from happening. So stay tuned for episode two coming right up.
Further Reading
Freedom of the Press Foundation
Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that protects, defends, and empowers public-interest journalism in the 21st century.
Relevant Terms
Online Surveillance
Online surveillance is the monitoring of the online behavior, activities, or other changing information.
Contributor Bios
- Davis Erin Anderson is Director of Programs and Partnerships at METRO Library Council.
- David Huerta is a Digital Security Trainer at Freedom of the Press Foundation, where he trains journalists in privacy-enhancing technology to empower a free press. He’s taught hundreds of trainings across the world and has previously organized the digital security track at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) conference. He’s also spoken on the subject of usable privacy technology at DEF CON, Radical Networks, Rightscon, Facets, Allied Media Conference and anywhere the words "use PGP" summon him to a stump speech.
- This project is funded by the Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer, and produced in collaboration with Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library, and Queens Public Library.