More Info on Privacy Concerns?

[pure_doxyk]

Hi all,

I've been trying to find information on LJ's *current* practices regarding tracking the information of its users (an other privacy-related issues) and I'm having some trouble finding anything but rumors.  I know I've heard that LJ is now gathering private information on its users regarding where they surf, for instance, but I can't seem to

Comments

[boredinsomniac]

Those entries seem to be talking about LJ sending information "to an ad-targeting server." They then give examples of what could be done with this information, but don't suggest or support the idea that LJ is known to be doing those things.

They seem to be missing a key point, though: It looks like the ad-targetting server is LJ's server, and LJ's ad targetting is done in-house. Whatever information is used for ad targetting, it is used by LJ for ad targetting. They're not sending it to advertisers. They probably have the advertisers tell them what kind of people they'd like to see which ads, so LJ can then use the info it has to target ads without sending info to advertisers.

Concerns about LJ collecting information from your journal or sending that information to its own ad-targetting server don't seem to me to be cause for concern, because LJ already has your journal information stored on its servers. If having your journal entries and profile information stored on LJ's regular servers doesn't bother someone, why should it bother them to have it sent to that particular LJ server? How is LJ using your interests to serve ads any more of a problem than having LJ use your interests to help other people with similar interests find you?