Darleen, what you post was touched upon in Friday's ABC News NightLine.
<<where computers take up the slack...>>
<<seems nobody in society wants to take responsibility
for their own actions anymore...>>
Seems that down the road it will be possible for people to let a
computer make decisions for them that we now consider too personal.
If so, then only a matter of time until until a government Big Brother
will take over after a majority of the population vote yes/for a law
that requires people to use the computer for decision making.
abcnews.go.com
Problems With Soul-Mate Searches?
Tell Nightline Your Experiences and Opinions
ABCNEWS.com
Is it possible to have a computer for a soul mate?
Well, maybe not in the traditional sense, but there is a new
computer program that gets pretty close. It is a program designed to
help you discover your new favorite movie, book, or vacation based on
your past likes and dislikes and how those likes and dislikes match up
with others' likes and dislikes. There are obvious advantages, but are
there dangers as well?
If you would like to help us continue reporting this story, we were
wonderingWhen companies use the soul-mate engine to help you find the
right product or service, do they secretly give extra weight to certain
products? Products they favor? Products they are paid to favor? Products
they are trying to get rid of? You can't know, of course, but maybe you
can give us leads to investigate?
We have listed in the right column Websites that use collaborative
filtering technologyor variations of a soul-mate program. We would
like you to visit them, (or any other sites you find), input your
preferences, (be honest, please) and see what those engines recommend.
If the selections puzzle you, or push choices they you would never have
chosen on your own, or if you, as the folks on the Nightline program
said, smell a rat, we'd be interested to know what happened, in as
much detail as possible.
We might even put you and your experience on a follow up program.
Thank you.
Name:
E-mail:
Phone number:
What are your experiences with these soul-mate search engines?
Detailed information about your preferences is SO valuable to
merchants, you have to believe they will probe, snoop, and pay to find
out about you because, as our program demonstrates, it's worth it. But
do you
A) Worry that you will be bombarded with irresistable offers that untap
appetites and urges you can't control?
B) Worry that the information you tell your search engine will be read
by merchants even though you try to keep it hidden?
C) Worry that even though these search engines don't need to know your
name, race, income, gender, educational history all they need to know
is what you liked in the past ? even so, do you worry they'll figure out
who you are anyway?
D) Worry that you are, in some profound way, predictable? That for every
product category, there are shoppers out there almost exactly like you?
Please comment on any or all of the above.
ABCNEWS.com
W E B L I N K
Net Perceptions
W E B L I N K
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