Big Tech’s Sincere yet Self-Serving Interest in Our Privacy
In a surprising move, Microsoft recently reminded its users of its unwavering commitment to our privacy. Their terms of service and privacy policies reflect a sense of corporate responsibility and social awareness. This bold step should give us a warm and fuzzy feeling, but I’m still on the fence.
The use of cookies to personalize content and advertisements seems to be a genuine attempt to tailor the user experience to our individual needs. By selecting ‘I Accept,’ we grant MSN and Microsoft Bing the authority to customize our online journey, including targeted ads and improved services. The added feature to ‘Manage preferences’ also offers us the power to control and make informed decisions about our digital footprint.
Targeted advertising has its pros and cons, but the user is still in control.
Delving into the Fine Print
It’s only fair that we understand how our data is processed. The goal is to provide and deliver quality content or advertisements and then gauge the effectiveness of such efforts. Sharing our information with trusted partners may sound concerning, but the aim is to better comprehend the world of digital media and extract meaningful insights from the Microsoft ecosystem. In return, these findings allow them to make better choices in regards to how to distribute the same advertisements or improve services across their vast range of products and websites.
[…]‘you may exercise your right to consent or object to a legitimate interest, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose.’ This explicit commitment to empowering users’ decisions offers us hope in our current tech climate. Although not as vocal about its opinions as other large tech corporations, Microsoft proves it does listen and that users can ultimately be their top priority.
User Power, Empowered Choices
However the topic may unfold in coming months and years, users like me still wonder: Are there ulterior motives driving such business models, where giving and receiving exist side-by-side, without regard to data being potentially traded to parties not transparent in any relationship that it entails?
A ‘fair exchange’ system - who has control over it, though?
Empathy: Data Handling & Third-Party Compliance
There exists hope as big companies shift gears, towards addressing today’s key digital and real-life social problems.
A balanced scale with transparency.
