1.1.1.1

So much attention has been focused on the issue of online data privacy calling out companies such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter. My take on this issue is mixed noting that collecting data that allows targeted advertising is the reason you can use these services for “free”. While important, those interested in data privacy might also complain about the tactics of your ISP, your credit card companies, and other services such as FourSquare. It is the combination of information across these services that is most valuable. For example. an ad campaign gains value by not just counting the number of ads viewed, but by showing that the ads generated additional revenue for the company paying for the ads. Combining evidence of exposure to an ad (one of the social sites) with evidence that you made a purchase an a related establishment (credit card data) or visited a relevant store (FourSquare) is far more valuable than knowing you viewed the ad alone. 

Taking on this entire issue is far too much for one post. I do have one concrete suggestion – use 1.1.1.1.  I have described this service previously as available on computers. 1.1.1.1, sometimes called a dotted quad, is the way computers communicate the address for an online resource. To translate what you enter (learningaloud.com) into a dotted quad, your ISP relies on a domain name server (DNS). You don’t have to make use of the domain name server offered by an ISP and using something else is one way to limit the information the ISP can learn about your online behavior. So substituting 1.1.1.1, a DNS provided by CloudFlare, for the domain server assigned by your ISP, you can limit the data your ISP can collect. Remember, unlike Google or Facebook, you already pay your ISP.

1.1.1.1 (the service provided by CloudFlare and also the DNS identifier) now provides a free app for iOS and Android. It is about as simple to use as it gets. Launch the app – turn to on or turn to off. 

More information from 9to5 Mac.