Websites have cookies and data tracking systems, but very few have opt-out options for said cookies and tracking systems. It’s like a web with no water nearby. There’s no way the trapped users can get out of it. Cookies are something that are stored in our browsers. For example, I have many cookies in my All sites settings on Google Chrome. YouTube, Instagram, Max, and more, are sites that I have visited where the cookies are recorded by my browser. So, I know somewhat about site data tracking and cookies.
That being said, cookies are still an enigma to me, because I have not understood how they worked for a while now. I thought I knew, but I don’t really know. And neither do other digital users. Sites track your data regardless, so there’s no reason to bother learning, right? But these things are important to know about. Companies collect and disclose users’ personal information without their consent or knowledge and it ultimately does harm them. Casual surveillance by Stephanie Vie explains the way services fail to protect users’ privacy interests in social networking and mobile game. One instance of this failure to protect users’ privacy involved the collection and disclosure of hundred thousands of children younger then 13 years old without the consent of their parents. Several suits have been brought against game development companies because of these practices that put users’ privacy at risk
The way this connects to my earlier talk about cookies is that users’ are not given many, if any, choices about whether or not they can opt-out of their data being tracked and recorded. Multiple websites don’t allow them to opt-out. Social networks for video games aren’t going to put a blaring warning on the screen giving the player the choice of opting in or out. It’s either cookies or no service.
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