This article, while not specifically for desis, shows how easy it is for companies to track your online, and target their ads to your profile. In the early days of the Internet and e-commerce, tons of companies were formed and funded, just to attract "eyeballs", with the carrot being an incentive, like money or gifts, for people to share their personal information.
But today, most of those sock-puppet touting companies do not exist - but online tracking tools have become much more sophisticated than just cookies...and with the advent of social networking, openID and geo-apps, its easier than ever to track the online and physical movement of a person who has given access to these apps.
As a test, I checked my profile at Rapleaf.com - it pegged me as a 65+ year old male, interested in blogging and non-profits, homeowner, right income range, and interested in online auctions! Not all of it is true, which leads me to beleive that this is a work in progress - but has the potential to build detailed personal dossiers.
There is an opt-out option too, for those who don't want to receive targeted online ads...but your footprints are out there...
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