Paul Rubin on Privacy
BBC Online Magazine – ICLE Academic Affiliate Paul Rubin was interviewed by BBC Online Magazine in a story about Google’s use of data. You can read full piece here.
Users are richly compensated for their personal information, says Paul Rubin, a professor of economics at Emory University in Atlanta. In exchange for it, he says, they receive a free and useful internet.
“It makes the internet work much better, in many dimensions.
“If you and I search on the same topic, we may have different interests, if the results are tailored to me and tailored to you, that’s a better experience.”
When the data is used to sell ads, the ads we get are tailored to things we might like, and the profits can work in our favour.
“Sure, Google makes some money, but they use that money to give away all kinds of stuff, like Gmail,” says Mr Rubin.
“My life is on Google,” he says, referring to the calendars, documents and other services Google provides. “It needs to be funded somehow.”