Internet Companies are Profiling Your Family and Your ISP is Helping

 By: Shahin Soltanian (PhDin Philosophy)

Internet Companies are Profiling Your Family and Your ISP is Helping

It is no secret that companies such as Google and Facebook profile individuals on the basis of their search history, contacts, friends and internet activities.  These companies don’t hide the fact that they collect information from online activities.  When a person signs up for services usually they agree to the terms of use which includes the general clauses about how information is collected and how it would be used by the company.  The information collected is used to provide you with a more accurate service (though not everyone might agree) such as for example, in the case of Youtube, provide you with video recommendations.   But companies are established to make profit.  If like Google and Facebook they are providing free services then they need to make profit through other ways.  One of the main ways such companies make profit is through advertising revenue.  Therefore, the information collected on you is also used to tailor-make advertising based on what an internet company’s algorithm decides is something a subscriber is interested in.  The information collected is also in many cases shared with other companies.

Most of people when signing up for services like Gmail, Youtube or Facebook already know that these companies are collecting information about their online activities.  They understand that to receive a free service they have to give up their right to absolute privacy.  The currency being exchanged is privacy.  A person receives a service and in return pays for that service with their privacy.  Some might find it convenient that instead of having to search for things they are interested in it will be presented to them based on their internet footprint.  Some might even know how accurately it profiles and predicts information about a person as outlined in this article: “Clicking this link lets you see what Google thinks it knowsabout you based on your search history — and some of its predictions are eerilyaccurate”.  Few even know that companies that use the advertising services of Google and Facebook might utilize how their algorithm works for giving their product an advantage over others.

However majority of individuals are unaware of the fact that internet companies also profile IP addresses.  I noticed this a while ago.  I realized that when my partner or one of my children searches for something on the internet I too receive advertisement or suggestions for the same product, Youtube video, etc.  This is despite the fact that we use different computers, tablets and phones and that on each we use Firefox’s private window that does not record browsing history.  So if my son looked up 3D modelling using the Blender program on Youtube (something he does on a regular basis) on his computer using Firefox’s private window, I too get suggestions for those videos on my phone (which I am signed into my account) or on my computer using Firefox’s private browsing (which I am not signed into any accounts).  The reason for getting the same suggestions is that we all use the same home Wifi network with the same IP (Internet Protocol) address.  I also noticed that if we ever went on a trip longer than five days on our return when one of us quickly jumped on the computer, opened Firefox’s private browser and brought up the Youtube page, the suggestions were quite different as if it had reset not knowing what to suggest to us.  The reason for that was because usually when we go on family trips we turn everything off including the modem.  When we return our internet service provider would reset our IP address due to most households being given a dynamic IP address.

IP addresses work in a similar way to that of a physical address.  When you want to send a package to a physical address you write the address indicating which physical address the package is sent to.  Similarly, IP addresses indicate the computer that information is exchanged with usually back and forth.  A dynamic IP address is one that does not always stay with the same computer.  Internet service providers (ISPs) use dynamic IPs for most household internet lines due to the fact that they can cycle it around different households if one is no longer using it and/or for other reasons.  Static IP addresses on the other hand are assigned to a specific location.  Static IP addresses don’t change if you leave your modem turned off for a week since it is assigned only to your address.  Internet service providers usually charge extra for a static IP address.

But here is the thing, even though technically dynamic IP addresses are not permanent but in practice many ISPs keep the same IP addresses for the same household unless they are disconnected from the internet for a long time, the household changes their internet service provider or the individual who has an account with their ISP changes address.  Most people don’t turn off their modems for a very long period of time, move houses often or change internet service providers on a regular basis.  Most people in a household unit usually continue to use the same IP address over a long period of time giving the profiling algorithm of internet companies such as Google and Facebook the ability to fully profile the online activities (and by default the psychology) of a household unit which in most cases includes families.  In this way, internet companies are profiling families with the assistance of their internet service providers.  This information is sold to companies other than those who are profiling a household unit.  For example, a person might notice that they receive advertisements regarding a product from companies such as Aliexpress (even though they had not searched for that product on that site) based on the google searches and online activities of another member in the house.  Such occurrences are too frequent and easily testable for internet companies or ISPs to deny that it happens.

There is a benefit, usually for websites, to having a stable IP address.  Many websites that host blogs, forums and other such activities block IP addresses that might be causing disturbance or harassment or are responsible for spamming.  If dynamic IP addresses changed frequently then people are more likely to continue causing disturbance or continue to spam with the new spam more frequently.  However, there has to be a balance between personal privacy and prevention of such activities.  Even if one person has signed an agreement to exchange their privacy for a free service the entire household has not some of which include children under the age of 13 (which Google and Facebook do not provide a service for based on legal issues of advertising to children).

A study conducted by RIPE Network Coordination Centre (which can be accessed here: Reasons Dynamic Addresses Change), asked a number of internet service providers why their dynamic IP addresses change.  Some of European ISPs contacted by them indicated they change the IP addresses of a customer every 24 hours.  Among the reasons given for the frequent change was the privacy of the customer.  In other words, the aforementioned internet service provider takes special care to ensure the privacy of its clients.  Clearly there are individuals that do have privacy concerns and ISPs that cater to that.  The question is are everyday people concerned about being profiled as a household and are they ok with it?  The answer to this question can only be known if people are informed about the profiling practices of major internet companies and the tacit assistance they receive from most internet service providers.

Dr Shahin Soltanian has a PhD in philosophy from the University of Auckland. He is the author of The Kashfence Philosophy (Discovering Through Rational and Scientific Analysis). His undergraduate studies included in addition to philosophy, psychology and civil engineering.

This story also appears here: Medium