Bell Media and tracking/distributing customers media habits

1)      Why do you think Bell Media would want to track your media consumption on their services? 

I think Bell media wants to track our media consumption because it allows Bell to see what topics we are interested in. By allowing Bell to see what topics we are interested in they can make the advertisements we see more geared towards our interests making us more inclined to buy a product. It also gives the customer a chance to see ads that they actually want to see, rather than having a bunch of random ads on media sites they use.

2) Do you think that Bell should have the right to track and distribute the media habits of its customers? Yes or no (explain).

I think Bell should only have the right to track and distribute our media habits only if the customers agree for their media habits to be tracked. If we don’t want our media habits to be tracked them as a customer we should have the right to not have our personal media habits tracked.

3) Who benefits from the tracking of customers media habits?

The advertisers will benefit from the tracking of customers media habits because the customers are now seeing advertisements that they actually care about, which may make them more inclined to buy one of the advertiser’s products. Bell also benefits from customer’s media habits because if they prove to the advertisers that they are more of their consumers will buy their products, the advertisers will pay Bell more money to have their products advertised. This will benefit Bell because in the end Bell will end up receiving more revenue from the advertising firms

4) What do customers stand to lose if their media consumption is tracked and distributed?

If a customer’s media habits are tracked and distributed by Bell, it allows Bell free access to our information. As a customer we will get nothing in return for giving Bell access to our information. However we are forced to pay hundreds of dollars a month to Bell for our services yet when we give them something (that will benefit them) for free we are not given any recompenses. This is what customers stand to lose if they allow Bell to track and distribute their media consumption. 

Link to the Toronto Star article written by Curtis Rush: http://www.thestar.com/business/tech_news/2013/10/23/privacy_commissioner_launches_probe_into_bells_new_data_collection.html