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Some people have earned nearly $ 100,000 just by surfing the internet

2022-06-06 12:52:49Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Some people have earned nearly $ 100,000 just by surfing the internet

The details of what each of us looks at online are an incredibly valuable resource.

This tracked data helps companies like Google and Facebook earn billions and billions of dollars a year in advertising revenue as they use the information to target ads to us.

For example, if you are browsing online retailers to buy a new pair of jeans, you will soon see ads for jeans appearing elsewhere. We’ve all seen this happen in relation to whatever we were thinking of buying.

The level at which we are being tracked online in this way is somewhat disturbing. According to a recent study, every person in Europe shares 376 data per day, Americans double that with 747.

But what if not only could you have more control over how much of your data is shared, but you can actually make money from it?

This is the promise of a Canadian technology firm called Surf, which last year launched a browser add-on of the same name. It rewards people for browsing the internet.

Still in its beta or limited release phase, it works bypassing Google, and instead sells your data directly to retailers. In return Surf gives you points that can be saved and then purchased for gift cards and in-store discounts.

Surf states that all data is anonymous, your email addresses and phone numbers are not shared and you do not have to provide your name when registering. However, it does ask for your approximate age, gender and address, but these are not mandatory.

The idea is that brands can use the data provided by Surf to see, for example, which are the most popular websites among 18 to 24 year old men in Los Angeles.

Surf has not released details on how much people can earn, but so far says it has enabled users to collectively earn more than $ 97,000.

People can also use Surf to restrict the data they share, such as blocking information about certain websites they visit.

Surf founder and CEO Swish Goswamo says the firm wants to be "the reward of Internet browsing".

"From day one we have been clear with users what we share and what we do not share, and we give them the ability to control their data as well. "I think people are more comfortable like this, when they know they have given as much data as they want and they get paid for it," Goswamo said.

Surf is part of a growing movement that some commentators have called "responsible technology," part of which is to give people more control over their data.

Another technology firm in this space is another Canadian company Waverly, which allows people to compile their own news sources instead of relying on Google News algorithms and Apple News tracker and ads.

With Waverly, you complete topics you care about, and its AI software finds articles you think you want to read. The Montreal firm is the brainchild of founder Philippe Beaudoin, a former Google engineer.

Users of the app can regularly change their preferences and send comments on articles that are recommended to them.

"Responsive technology should empower users," he said.

Rob Shavell's American firm, Abine, has developed two applications that enable the user to increase his / her privacy: Blur and Delete Me. The first ensures that your passwords and payment details cannot be tracked, while the second removes your personal information from search engines.

Carissa Veliz, a lecturer at the Institute for AI Ethics at Oxford University, says technology firms should be "encouraged to develop business models that do not depend on the use of personal data".

"It is worrying that most of the algorithms that are ruling our lives are being produced by private companies without any kind of oversight or guidance to ensure that those algorithms are supportive of our public goods and values," she adds.


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