Where do we draw the line as companies in terms of user data collection? Should we stop tracking our users entirely?
Government eavesdropping aside, I see the internet as just another form of communication. Anytime you talk to someone, you are entrusting them with whatever you are communicating to them. If you knew a friend doesn't keep secrets well, you probably wouldn't tell them any secrets. When Mozilla sends you that email with the tracking links, you are entrusting them with that data, and are hoping that the data leads to a better relationship between them and you or offers some mutual benefit.
What is different in internet communication is that it is hard for a user to determine what company is trustworthy and when that trust has been violated. Most users also simply don't care when that trust has been violated - no one should like that their user data at some level is sold to advertisers by Facebook, but that won't stop them from using it (I myself am guilty of this).
Should tech companies not collect user data in the fear that a 3rd party may one day steal that data? Or should they not collect user data for some other reason?
Government eavesdropping aside, I see the internet as just another form of communication. Anytime you talk to someone, you are entrusting them with whatever you are communicating to them. If you knew a friend doesn't keep secrets well, you probably wouldn't tell them any secrets. When Mozilla sends you that email with the tracking links, you are entrusting them with that data, and are hoping that the data leads to a better relationship between them and you or offers some mutual benefit.
What is different in internet communication is that it is hard for a user to determine what company is trustworthy and when that trust has been violated. Most users also simply don't care when that trust has been violated - no one should like that their user data at some level is sold to advertisers by Facebook, but that won't stop them from using it (I myself am guilty of this).
Should tech companies not collect user data in the fear that a 3rd party may one day steal that data? Or should they not collect user data for some other reason?