For years, conspiracy theorists have warned that the government is watching everything that you do.
I never worried about that much, because:
- The government seldom does anything right.
- I don’t think that I do anything that even the most repressive regime would consider dangerous or even interesting.
Whether the government is watching or not, you are being watched! On at least one level, the paranoia is justified.
Websites now employ algorithms that note your activity and tailor their responses. Here’s just one example - You don’t have to buy anything, just look at an item on line. Later, check the ads on the right hand side of your Facebook page. Chances are that you will see an ad for the thing you recently looked at on the website of Best Buy, Wal-Mart or Lowes.
Just ten days ago, my blog post was a review of I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. This morning, an email from Amazon offered a chance to pre-order his latest:
A new book that is not due out until May of next year.
I didn’t even buy Pilgrim from Amazon. As I implied in my blog, I got it from the paperback rack at my local Wal-Mart. But, before we assign the Amazon website magical powers, I should point out that I did get the copy of the book cover I used in my post from the Amazon.com website. That, in itself, is amazing enough for me.
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