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<\/a><\/p>\nOpen Sharers: I don\u2019t have to tell you who these people are, because you already know everything about them, whether you want to or not. Open sharers are younger (average age 32), college graduates (61 percent), own more smartphones (83 percent), use Twitter every day (45 percent), and are 99.7 percent more likely to annoy you with inane trivia about their cats. (That\u2019s my interpretation, not MasterCard\u2019s.) I\u2019ve always believed that there are two kinds of people in this world: Those who think there are two kinds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8,9],"tags":[849],"class_list":["post-3676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social-media","category-software","tag-privacy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-Xi","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5671,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/06\/06\/one-in-seven-americans-were-notified-of-personal-data-breaches-last-year\/","url_meta":{"origin":3676,"position":0},"title":"One in seven Americans were notified of personal data breaches last year","author":"NCCT","date":"June 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Personal data theft has become an increasing concern for everyone, but according to a recent Consumer Reports survey, most US consumers do nothing to protect themselves even with data theft on the rise. The survey found that one in seven Americans, or around 45 million people, were notified that their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Networking"","block_context":{"text":"Networking","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/networking\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6892,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/11\/19\/att-kills-the-permacookie-stops-tracking-customers-internet-usage-for-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":3676,"position":1},"title":"AT&T kills the ‘permacookie,’ stops tracking customers’ Internet usage (for now)","author":"NCCT","date":"November 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In recent weeks, Verizon and AT&T have been caught up in a privacy firestorm over their use of so-called \u201cpermacookies,\u201d a method of tracking what their users do while browsing the Web with the intent of sharing that data with advertisers. 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Within that group, Google found that half had at least two injectors\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Software"","block_context":{"text":"Software","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/software\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6821,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/11\/13\/mozilla-foundation-celebrates-a-decade-of-firefox-with-new-release\/","url_meta":{"origin":3676,"position":3},"title":"Mozilla Foundation celebrates a decade of Firefox with new release","author":"NCCT","date":"November 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Mozilla\u2019s Firefox web browser turned 10 years old on November 9 and to celebrate the occasion, the foundation is rolling out a handful of new products and programs. Mozilla has released a new version of Firefox that\u2019s said to be faster than ever. It includes the option to use DuckDuckGo\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Software"","block_context":{"text":"Software","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/software\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6713,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/10\/28\/rogue-tor-exit-node-server-added-malware-to-legitimate-downloads\/","url_meta":{"origin":3676,"position":4},"title":"Rogue Tor ‘exit node’ server added malware to legitimate downloads","author":"NCCT","date":"October 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The Tor Project has flagged a server in Russia after a security researcher found it slipped in malware when users were downloading files. 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\nOn the other hand, open sharers are very aware of targeted marketing, expect to get something in return for sharing their data, and are more savvy than most when it comes to privacy.
\nSimply Interactors. These people think Facebook is the Internet, thus they spend all day posting inspirational sayings and cat videos to their walls. They are slightly older on average than Open Sharers, more likely to be female (55 percent), and about a third less likely to own a smartphone or a tablet. They are the least likely to hold a full time job (46 percent), probably because they spend so much freakin\u2019 time on Facebook.
\nSimple Interactors are much more savvy about social networks than the average user, but fall behind everywhere else, including awareness of data and privacy issues.
\nSolely Shoppers. Like the name implies, these folks are master bargain hunters, using the Net to compare prices against brick and mortar shops. Otherwise, they have little use for the Internet. Entertainment, news, social interaction? Meh. Just show them the deals.
\nInterestingly, these folks are both the juiciest targets for Internet marketers and the most clueless; they are almost completely unaware of how data is used to target them.
\nPassive Users. According to the survey, these people \u201care not fully convinced of the value of the Internet.\u201d They use a lot of mobile apps; social networks not so much. They\u2019re more likely to be male and less likely to be married. The Passive User is extremely willing to give up his data while simultaneously being unaware of targeted marketing or how to manage his privacy.
\nMasterCard isn\u2019t saying, but I think we all know how these guys spend most of their time online. (Hint: It starts with p and rhymes with horn.)
\nProactive Protectors. Though they sound like something you\u2019d wear to fend off a social disease, Proactive Protectors are probably the geekiest of the lot, if also the least common (17 percent of the total). They\u2019re the oldest (average age 39) and among the best educated (60 percent college grads) and most employable (58 percent). They share a lot in common with the first group, Open Sharers, save for the fact that they\u2019re mostly unwilling to spill their guts in public. Three out of four routinely clear their browser cookies, if that\u2019s any indication.
\nThey are, in short, cranky old dudes who are suspicious of social networks and covetous of their data. You can guess where I fit into this scheme. All I can say is, cranky old dudes for the win.
\nThe real lessons
\nAside from the personality typing, which is fun but mostly silly, the survey has some real takeaways that once again refute the notion that a) we have no privacy, and b) even if we did, nobody cares about it.
\nTo wit:
\n64 percent of those surveyed realize their data has value to merchants
\n55 percent like being sent orders tailored to their interests
\nSix out of ten know how to change their browser privacy settings
\nOnly one in three approves of online tracking, even if does let them see \u201cmore interesting\u201d ads
\nMy take on these results: Though people go online for various reasons, nearly all of them see the value in the data they are generating\u2014and wish to be compensated in some fashion. They\u2019re also savvier than many give them credit for. Merchants and advertisers would be well advised to realize these things, sooner rather than later.
\nvia Beware: Your browsing habits expose privacy preferences | PCWorld<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"