The FTC and Web-Tracking

        At the beginning of this month the Federal Trade Commission released a guide for consumers and businesses regarding online privacy issues.  One interesting recommendation is the "Do Not Track" option, which would give consumers the choice whether they would want their information on their internet behavior collected and used for targeted marketing or not.  Businesses have been using these online tracking techniques to specifically target their products to what they perceive to be interested consumers for years.  Consumers have claimed that this type of collection violates their privacy rights.  Much of the FTC guide however is quite vague.  It calls for "reasonable"measures in data collection and to have "reasonable" security measures in the security of this data.  The question then becomes who determines what reasonable is?  Will it be the consumers, who are against the tracking of their internet browsing, or will it be the corporations who are doing the tracking to specifically market their ads to consumers.  I predict that the corporations will be the ones to determine what "reasonable" is.  With corporations in the wallets of politicians they will get what they want and it usually is at the expense of the individual.  
       Interestingly enough, in an attempt to regain users web browser users, Microsoft has claimed that their next version of Internet Explorer will allow users to block such tracking techniques.  Internet Explorer was once the most popular browser on the web, but now ranks a distant 4th place.  Mozilla, maker of the web's most popular browser today, initially developed a tool for their bowser which would have blocked these type of tracking measures.  Unfortunately they scrapped the project fearing a possible backlash from ad agencies that they work with.  Even though web browsers do allow for tracking, browsers such as Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome also allow extensions for their specific browsers.  Extensions are small software add-ons for web browsers that enhance the functionality and use of a web browser.  A popular extension that exists is one known as AdBlocker.  Now AdBlocker doesn't block the tracking of your web browsing, but it does block a majority of the targeted ads that we see when browsing the internet.  So if you are tired of being bombarded by ads as you browse the web check out AdBlocker for your respective internet browser to take out a majority of those annoying ads.
    

Groupon

   Groupon makes money by getting a percentage revenues from the retailer or restaurant that offered a deal.  Even if one deal is not very profitable, Groupon stands to and recently has become extremely profitable because they offer at least one deal every day. While making a profit Groupon also helps small local businesses find new customers.  For local mom and pop shops Groupon has become a popular and successful alternative to to conventional advertising.  This new form of advertising allows local businesses to pay for real results that come from Groupon deals.  Groupon has become so successful that they are now expanding into the Asian market.  They launched Groupon Japan this past summer, They recently acquired uBuyiBuy, Beeconmic, and Atlaspost which has relaunched as Groupon Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.  (Groupon in Asia)
Groupon's success has recently got the attention of a well known corporate giant known as Google.  (Google Interested in Groupon)    Questions have risen whether Groupon shouldd allow themselves to be bought out.  From the perspective of  Groupons current owners the answer is a resounding yes. Even though I would no longer consider Groupon a small business anymore.  This is a small business owners dream, to be able to create a unique product or service and be able to sell it off to the largest interested buyer in the market.  Groupon should act quickly to sell to Google because there have been a large number of copycats that have copied Groupon's model of business and can possibly end Groupon's reign of success.