Facebook May Soon Be Able To Tell If You Are Rich Or Poor

Social media giant Facebook has filed a patent application for a technology that would easily categorise users economic status...grouping them into either of the three  social-economic category; working class, middle class and the upper class.

According to the Dailymail, the social media giant wants to build a system that collects' personal data, such as education, home ownership and internet usage so as to predict their social socio-economic status.

The patent was filed as back as July 27, 2016, but was just made public on Thursday last week. The filing suggested an algorithm that may help in improving Facebook's targeting capabilities so as to be able to server more relevant ads to users.

"By predicting the socio-economic groups of users, [Facebook] is able to help the third party present sponsored content to the sasaran users," the patent read.

"Third parties are able to effectively promote their products or services, and the online system can provide a more engaging user experience to users," the patent added.

Users on Facebook would be asked questions relating to their user's age group. For example, 20 - 30-year-olds would be asked how many devices that they own, while those aged between 30 to 40-years would be asked if they own a house. 

Other questions would include the user's travel history, the highest level of education, the number of internet connected devices owned etc to detremine the users status.

The patent said that Facebook would ask users "questions about income and using other personal data to make conclusions on its own". 

The patent also adds that Facebook won't rely on the data supplied by users on their platform but would also refer to actions perfromed by the user.

Facebook says they won't ask users their income, hinting that people "are typically not inclined to to share income information, which may be sensitive information, on online systes."

It is still unclear if the patent will ever be targeted towards to users.

"We ofteen seek patents for technology we never implement, and paten should not be taken as an indication of future plans," a Facebook spokesperson told the thehill.com.

Facebook May Soon Be Able To Tell If You Are Rich Or Poor

Social media giant Facebook has filed a patent application for a technology that would easily categorise users economic status...grouping them into either of the three  social-economic category; working class, middle class and the upper class.

According to the Dailymail, the social media giant wants to build a system that collects' personal data, such as education, home ownership and internet usage so as to predict their social socio-economic status.

The patent was filed as back as July 27, 2016, but was just made public on Thursday last week. The filing suggested an algorithm that may help in improving Facebook's targeting capabilities so as to be able to server more relevant ads to users.

"By predicting the socio-economic groups of users, [Facebook] is able to help the third party present sponsored content to the sasaran users," the patent read.

"Third parties are able to effectively promote their products or services, and the online system can provide a more engaging user experience to users," the patent added.

Users on Facebook would be asked questions relating to their user's age group. For example, 20 - 30-year-olds would be asked how many devices that they own, while those aged between 30 to 40-years would be asked if they own a house. 

Other questions would include the user's travel history, the highest level of education, the number of internet connected devices owned etc to detremine the users status.

The patent said that Facebook would ask users "questions about income and using other personal data to make conclusions on its own". 

The patent also adds that Facebook won't rely on the data supplied by users on their platform but would also refer to actions perfromed by the user.

Facebook says they won't ask users their income, hinting that people "are typically not inclined to to share income information, which may be sensitive information, on online systes."

It is still unclear if the patent will ever be targeted towards to users.

"We ofteen seek patents for technology we never implement, and paten should not be taken as an indication of future plans," a Facebook spokesperson told the thehill.com.

Facebook May Soon Be Able To Tell If You Are Rich Or Poor

Social media giant Facebook has filed a patent application for a technology that would easily categorise users economic status...grouping them into either of the three  social-economic category; working class, middle class and the upper class.

According to the Dailymail, the social media giant wants to build a system that collects' personal data, such as education, home ownership and internet usage so as to predict their social socio-economic status.

The patent was filed as back as July 27, 2016, but was just made public on Thursday last week. The filing suggested an algorithm that may help in improving Facebook's targeting capabilities so as to be able to server more relevant ads to users.

"By predicting the socio-economic groups of users, [Facebook] is able to help the third party present sponsored content to the sasaran users," the patent read.

"Third parties are able to effectively promote their products or services, and the online system can provide a more engaging user experience to users," the patent added.

Users on Facebook would be asked questions relating to their user's age group. For example, 20 - 30-year-olds would be asked how many devices that they own, while those aged between 30 to 40-years would be asked if they own a house. 

Other questions would include the user's travel history, the highest level of education, the number of internet connected devices owned etc to detremine the users status.

The patent said that Facebook would ask users "questions about income and using other personal data to make conclusions on its own". 

The patent also adds that Facebook won't rely on the data supplied by users on their platform but would also refer to actions perfromed by the user.

Facebook says they won't ask users their income, hinting that people "are typically not inclined to to share income information, which may be sensitive information, on online systes."

It is still unclear if the patent will ever be targeted towards to users.

"We ofteen seek patents for technology we never implement, and paten should not be taken as an indication of future plans," a Facebook spokesperson told the thehill.com.

This Is Why The Facebook '10 Year Challenge' Puts Your Privacy At Risk

If you are a Facebook or Instagram user and have logged in to your account between this week and last week, you must have noticed the ongoing #10YearsChallenge trend.

The 10 years challenge is a new kind of demam isu that challenges social network users to share side-by-side photos of themselves taken 10 years ago and one taken recently. From celebrities to top figures, the challenge has seen millions of people around the world participate in it as many of the throw-back pictures draw fun memories.


Amid this trend, tech writer Kate O'Neill is trying to warn users to consider the "depth and breadth" of personal data they online without giving a second thought.

She highlighted the possibilities of what these photos could be used for, one of which includes mining the photos to train a facial recognition algorithm on age-related characteristics and age progression.

Me 10 years ago: probably would have played along with the profile picture aging meme going around on Facebook and Instagram
Me now: ponders how all this data could be mined to train facial recognition algorithms on age progression and age recognition

— Kate O'Neill (@kateo) January 12, 2019

In an op-ed piece on Wired which she described her tweet as sarcastic, Kate said;

"Imagine that you wanted to train a facial recognition algorithm on age-related characteristics and, more specifically, on age progression (e.g., how people are likely to look as they get older). Ideally, you'd want a broad and rigorous dataset with lots of people's pictures. It would help if you knew they were taken a fixed number of years apart - say, 10 years."

While many some people agreed with her, many others argued that the photos were already available anyway on Facebook and that it didn't need users to re-upload those photos for them to access.

Kate agreed with the fact the photos were already on Facebook but mining the photos and getting the exact date when those photos were taken would be difficult.

"People don't reliably upload pictures in chronological order, and it's not uncommon for users to post pictures of something other than themselves as a profile picture," she said. "In other words," she added. "It would be help if you had a clean, simple, helpfully labeled set of then-and-now photos."


Well, the Facebook challenge has those participating adding context as "me in 2009 and me in 2019,"and in some cases, users even indicate where and when the photos were taken. For example. "2008 at University of whatever, taken by Joe; 2018 visiting New City for this years's such-and-such event."

"Thanks to this meme, theres's now a very large dataset of carefully curated photos of people from roughly 10 years ago and now," Kate added.

On its part, a Facebook spokesperson has denied the involvement of the social network promoting the #10YearChallenge trend.

"This is a user-generated meme that went viral on its own," a Facebook spokesperson said. "Facebook did not start this trend, and the meme uses photos that already exist on Facebook. Facebook gains nothing from this meme (besides reminding us of the questionable fashion trends of 2009). As a reminder, Facebook users can choose to turn facial recognition on or off at any time."

Facebook Is Paying People To Install A Vpn App That Let's Them Spy On The People

Facebook is in the News again and as you might have thought, it is in the news for the wrong reason.

The social media giant has launched a secret service that is similar to its well criticized virtual private network app, Onavo. However, this time Facebook is using third-party beta testing services to pay participants in order to harvest virtually every single meaningful data on their device, which is in violation of Apple's rule, a TechCrunch report said.

First, Facebook used Onavo VPN to pry and monitor users behaviour. This and other data that Facebook harvested from users gave the company deep analytics on what other apps were using and how it was done. With all this information, Facebook knew the features that it needed to copy from her competitors, features to build and flops to avoid.


However, Facebook came under heavy fire when her shady practices became known to the public. After the ban of the Onavo VPN app from Apple's Play Store, Facebook began to sought for other means to suck people's data to stay top of the competition.

According to TechCrunch, "Facebook has been paying users ages 13 to 35 up to $20 per month plus referral fees to sell their privacy by installing the iOS or Android 'Facebook Research' app."

Launched in 2016, the app was originally called "Facebook Research' but later became known as Project Atlas since mid-2018 when backlash against Onavo began to build. To avoid direct involvement in the program, Facebook had the kegiatan administered through three beta testing services; Applause, BetaBound and uTest to distribute the research app.

The app requests permission that would allow the company to harvest data from private messages, photos, web browsing habits etc on Android and iOS. In exchange, Facebook gave the participants $20 payments in form of gift cards, and more for referrals. Users at some point are even asked to take screenshots of their Amazon order histories


Guardian Mobile Firewall security Will Strafach told TechCrunch:

"If Facebook makes full use of the level of access they are given by asking users to install the Certificate, they will have the ability to continuously collect the following types of data: private messages in social media apps, chats from in instant messaging apps - including photos/videos sent to others, emails, web searches activity, and even ongoing location by tapping into the feeds of any location tracking apps you may have installed."
.
TechCrunch notes that kegiatan participants on iOS are asked to sideload the app using an Apple Enterprise Developer Certificate which is likely in violation of Apple rules.

"Facebook seems to have purposefully avoided TestFlight, Apple's official beta testing system, which requires apps to be reviewed by Apple and is limited to 10,000 participants," TechCrunch said.

"Instead, the instruction manual reveals that users download the app from r.facebook-program.com and are told to install an Enterprise Developer Certificate and VPN and "Trust" Facebook with root access to the data their phone transmits. Apple requires that developers agree to only use this certificate system for distributing internal corporate apps to their own employees. Randomly recruiting testers and paying them a monthly fee appears to violate the spirit of that rule."

Last year, Facebook was plagued with several issues, from data breaches, failures to tackle political interference, bugs and other privacy scandals. Though the social media giant faced a said.

First, Facebook used Onavo VPN to pry and monitor users behaviour. This and other data that Facebook harvested from users gave the company deep analytics on what other apps were using and how it was done. With all this information, Facebook knew the features that it needed to copy from her competitors, features to build and flops to avoid.


However, Facebook came under heavy fire when her shady practices became known to the public. After the ban of the Onavo VPN app from Apple's Play Store, Facebook began to sought for other means to suck people's data to stay top of the competition.

According to TechCrunch, "Facebook has been paying users ages 13 to 35 up to $20 per month plus referral fees to sell their privacy by installing the iOS or Android 'Facebook Research' app."

Launched in 2016, the app was originally called "Facebook Research' but later became known as Project Atlas since mid-2018 when backlash against Onavo began to build. To avoid direct involvement in the program, Facebook had the kegiatan administered through three beta testing services; Applause, BetaBound and uTest to distribute the research app.

The app requests permission that would allow the company to harvest data from private messages, photos, web browsing habits etc on Android and iOS. In exchange, Facebook gave the participants $20 payments in form of gift cards, and more for referrals. Users at some point are even asked to take screenshots of their Amazon order histories


Guardian Mobile Firewall security Will Strafach told TechCrunch:

"If Facebook makes full use of the level of access they are given by asking users to install the Certificate, they will have the ability to continuously collect the following types of data: private messages in social media apps, chats from in instant messaging apps - including photos/videos sent to others, emails, web searches activity, and even ongoing location by tapping into the feeds of any location tracking apps you may have installed."
.
TechCrunch notes that kegiatan participants on iOS are asked to sideload the app using an Apple Enterprise Developer Certificate which is likely in violation of Apple rules.

"Facebook seems to have purposefully avoided TestFlight, Apple's official beta testing system, which requires apps to be reviewed by Apple and is limited to 10,000 participants," TechCrunch said.

"Instead, the instruction manual reveals that users download the app from r.facebook-program.com and are told to install an Enterprise Developer Certificate and VPN and "Trust" Facebook with root access to the data their phone transmits. Apple requires that developers agree to only use this certificate system for distributing internal corporate apps to their own employees. Randomly recruiting testers and paying them a monthly fee appears to violate the spirit of that rule."

Last year, Facebook was plagued with several issues, from data breaches, failures to tackle political interference, congress hearing and as well an said.

First, Facebook used Onavo VPN to pry and monitor users behaviour. This and other data that Facebook harvested from users gave the company deep analytics on what other apps were using and how it was done. With all this information, Facebook knew the features that it needed to copy from her competitors, features to build and flops to avoid.


However, Facebook came under heavy fire when her shady practices became known to the public. After the ban of the Onavo VPN app from Apple's Play Store, Facebook began to sought for other means to suck people's data to stay top of the competition.

According to TechCrunch, "Facebook has been paying users ages 13 to 35 up to $20 per month plus referral fees to sell their privacy by installing the iOS or Android 'Facebook Research' app."

Launched in 2016, the app was originally called "Facebook Research' but later became known as Project Atlas since mid-2018 when backlash against Onavo began to build. To avoid direct involvement in the program, Facebook had the kegiatan administered through three beta testing services; Applause, BetaBound and uTest to distribute the research app.

The app requests permission that would allow the company to harvest data from private messages, photos, web browsing habits etc on Android and iOS. In exchange, Facebook gave the participants $20 payments in form of gift cards, and more for referrals. Users at some point are even asked to take screenshots of their Amazon order histories


Guardian Mobile Firewall security Will Strafach told TechCrunch:

"If Facebook makes full use of the level of access they are given by asking users to install the Certificate, they will have the ability to continuously collect the following types of data: private messages in social media apps, chats from in instant messaging apps - including photos/videos sent to others, emails, web searches activity, and even ongoing location by tapping into the feeds of any location tracking apps you may have installed."
.
TechCrunch notes that kegiatan participants on iOS are asked to sideload the app using an Apple Enterprise Developer Certificate which is likely in violation of Apple rules.

"Facebook seems to have purposefully avoided TestFlight, Apple's official beta testing system, which requires apps to be reviewed by Apple and is limited to 10,000 participants," TechCrunch said.

"Instead, the instruction manual reveals that users download the app from r.facebook-program.com and are told to install an Enterprise Developer Certificate and VPN and "Trust" Facebook with root access to the data their phone transmits. Apple requires that developers agree to only use this certificate system for distributing internal corporate apps to their own employees. Randomly recruiting testers and paying them a monthly fee appears to violate the spirit of that rule."

Last year, Facebook was plagued with several issues, from data breaches, failures to tackle political interference, International probe committee that comprised of 7 countries, Facebook's user base hasn't stagnated. 

Google Has Launched Password Checkup To Protect Your Online Accounts & Passwords

Internet giant Google has launched two new security features that help to secure users data, not minding if the person is a Google product user or the regular Internet user that has nothing to do with Google services.

"Today, we're introducing two new updates that will keep your data secure, beyond just Google's sites and apps: Password Checkup, a Chrome extension that helps protect your accounts from third party data breaches, and a new feature called Cross Account Protection," Google announced in a blog post.

Google's new Chrome extension Password Checkup helps to ensure that users password is never compromised without their knowledge. This same similar feature is available on all Google products and apps.


Whenever a Google user's password has been exposed in a third-party data breach, Google automatically resets the password of the user account so as to reduce the risk of the account getting compromised.

However, with the new Password Checkup Chrome extension, this feature won't be restricted to just Google apps and services alone.

"We want to provide you with the same data breach protections for your accounts, beyond just Google apps and sites," Google said. "If we detect that a username and password on a site you use is one of over 4 billion credentials that we know have been compromised, the extension will trigger an automatic warning and suggest that you change your password."


In a nutshell, the Password Checkup Chrome extension aims at helping you re-secure accounts that were affected by data breaches.

In addition to the above, Google also launched Cross Account Protection to protect users while using apps that require Google account to log in.

When those other apps and sites have opted-in to Cross Account Protection, they will receive information in the events of account hijacking and or other security issues.

"With technologies like Password Checkup and Cross Account Protection, we're continuing to improve the security of our users across the Internet, not just on Google," Google said. "We'll never stop improving our defenses to keep you safe."

Google assured users of their privacy, saying that they have designed the security events to be extremely limited to protecting users privacy.

Russia To Punish Facebook & Twitter If They Refuse To Localise Users' Database

Image source: Getty Image

Following Russia's attempt to create a separate Internet of her own, Russian Telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor has said that it will punish Twitter and Facebook if they refuse to relocate the database hosting Russian users to the country.

This move comes as Russia is planning to disconnect itself from the Internet as part of a planned experiment that is meant to gather insight and provide feedback that will aid her in creating a separate Internet that will stay independent in the events of foreign aggressors trying to shut her off from the Internet.

"The companies will either have to localise the databases within a certain period of time, which i suppose will be about nine months, or they will be punished," Xinhua news agency quoted Roskomnadzor head Alexander Zharov.


The Roskomnadzor boss expects Facebook and Twitter representatives to meet with Roskomnadzor officials in Moscow by the end of February to resolve the issue.

Also Read: Russian Man Buys iPhone XS With Bath Tub Filled With Coins

Russian legislation requires Internet service providers to store and process personal data of Russians on Russian soil. In fact, Roskomnadzor has the right to impose fine or even block those companies that are in violation of the law.

Russia plans to route 95% of the country's Internet traffic locally by 2020, in fact the country authorities even have a local backup of the Domain Name System (DNS) which have been tested twice in 2014 and 2018.

Last year, the Russian Telecom watchdog fined instant messaging service Telegram for its refusal to provide user data of Russian citizens. Telegram was later blocked from the country but instead, the block resulted in the disruption of services in the country.

Privacy: India Sets To Ban Use Of Iphones In The Country

One major masalah phone and software makers face is how to operate or sell their services in different countries and still manage to operate within the law or jurisdiction of each those countries. Apple is facing a similar masalah in India where it faces the risk of being banned completely from the country for refusing to comply with directives from the country's telecom regulatory body.

The Telecom Regulatory authority of India (TRAI) has instructed  network operators in India to shut down support for phones that do not support installing its Do Not Disturb (DND) app.

The Do Not Disturb app is an anti-spam app that blocks nuisance calls in India i.e prevent unwanted telemarketing texts or calls. The app is available on the Google Play Store for Android users to download. However, apple didn't allow the app onto the App Store claiming that it "violates the privacy policy."

The Cupertino company's refusal to allow the Do Not Disturb onto Apple Store over privacy concerns led to a tiff with TRAI which made the regulatory body to come up with this stringent rule.


According to India Today, the part of the regulation reads, "Every access provider shall ensure, within six months' time, that all smart phone devices registered on its network support the permissions required for the functioning of such apps. Provided that where such devices do not permit functioning of such apps, Access Providers shall, on the order or direction of the Authority derecognize such devices from their own telecom networks."

Apple has informed TRAI of the changes in iOS 12 software upgrade which is to be available in September 2018. The software upgrade has features that allow bocking of unwanted calls and messages on iPhones.

Also read: Gang Of Hooded Thieves Snatch 21 iPhones Worth $19,000 From New York Apple Display Store

According to Apple, the iOS 12 update will feature Unwanted Communication extension. This feature will allow iPhone users to report spam calls and text messages right from the call log or messages app to TRAI. However, the Unwanted Communication extension doesn't provide TRAI's DND app with access to the entire cal log or SMS inbox of the user which is precisely what TRAI wants, full access to users call logs and messages.

This new regulation from TRAI has also been criticised by other phone makers saying the TRAI does not have the power to force telecom operators to stop registering certain phones on their network.

Privacy: India Sets To Ban Use Of Iphones In The Country

One major masalah phone and software makers face is how to operate or sell their services in different countries and still manage to operate within the law or jurisdiction of each those countries. Apple is facing a similar masalah in India where it faces the risk of being banned completely from the country for refusing to comply with directives from the country's telecom regulatory body.

The Telecom Regulatory authority of India (TRAI) has instructed  network operators in India to shut down support for phones that do not support installing its Do Not Disturb (DND) app.

The Do Not Disturb app is an anti-spam app that blocks nuisance calls in India i.e prevent unwanted telemarketing texts or calls. The app is available on the Google Play Store for Android users to download. However, apple didn't allow the app onto the App Store claiming that it "violates the privacy policy."

The Cupertino company's refusal to allow the Do Not Disturb onto Apple Store over privacy concerns led to a tiff with TRAI which made the regulatory body to come up with this stringent rule.


According to India Today, the part of the regulation reads, "Every access provider shall ensure, within six months' time, that all smart phone devices registered on its network support the permissions required for the functioning of such apps. Provided that where such devices do not permit functioning of such apps, Access Providers shall, on the order or direction of the Authority derecognize such devices from their own telecom networks."

Apple has informed TRAI of the changes in iOS 12 software upgrade which is to be available in September 2018. The software upgrade has features that allow bocking of unwanted calls and messages on iPhones.

Also read: Gang Of Hooded Thieves Snatch 21 iPhones Worth $19,000 From New York Apple Display Store

According to Apple, the iOS 12 update will feature Unwanted Communication extension. This feature will allow iPhone users to report spam calls and text messages right from the call log or messages app to TRAI. However, the Unwanted Communication extension doesn't provide TRAI's DND app with access to the entire cal log or SMS inbox of the user which is precisely what TRAI wants, full access to users call logs and messages.

This new regulation from TRAI has also been criticised by other phone makers saying the TRAI does not have the power to force telecom operators to stop registering certain phones on their network.

Android Devices Harvest 10 Times More Users Personal Data Than Iphone Does

A new study has claimed that Internet Google harvests 10 times more personal data of Android users than that of iPhone users. This comes after reports from Associated Press emerged that Google continues to track user's location even if their location service have been turned off.

According to the findings by Professor Douglas Schmidt's research from Vanderbult University, Google utilizes its products to collect detailed information about the habits of its users online and offline with aim of targeting users with paid advertisement.

One of Schmidt's findings points at Google Chrome on Android device. The researcher said the Chrome browser on Android sends users data to Google 50 times more than the Safari browser on the iPhone.

Infact, its so bad that to the point that an idle Android device with Chrome running in the background will still send data location of the user to Google. This happens 340 times in a 24-hour period, or 14 times each hour.


The researcher explained that Google collects user data actively and passively. When ever a user sign in to any Google service such as Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, etc. the users data is automatically uploaded to Google.

"Google is able to collect users' personnal data through various techniques that are not easily realized by user," Schmidt explained.

"Most of the process of collecting user data by Google actually occurs when users are not directly related to Google products," he said.

According to Mashable, Google has denied the claims saying that the study contained wildly mislead information.

The researcher also claimed the persoalan of data suctioning also happened on Facebook, though he didn't show what the result was.

Android Devices Harvest 10 Times More Users Personal Data Than Iphone Does

A new study has claimed that Internet Google harvests 10 times more personal data of Android users than that of iPhone users. This comes after reports from Associated Press emerged that Google continues to track user's location even if their location service have been turned off.

According to the findings by Professor Douglas Schmidt's research from Vanderbult University, Google utilizes its products to collect detailed information about the habits of its users online and offline with aim of targeting users with paid advertisement.

One of Schmidt's findings points at Google Chrome on Android device. The researcher said the Chrome browser on Android sends users data to Google 50 times more than the Safari browser on the iPhone.

Infact, its so bad that to the point that an idle Android device with Chrome running in the background will still send data location of the user to Google. This happens 340 times in a 24-hour period, or 14 times each hour.


The researcher explained that Google collects user data actively and passively. When ever a user sign in to any Google service such as Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, etc. the users data is automatically uploaded to Google.

"Google is able to collect users' personnal data through various techniques that are not easily realized by user," Schmidt explained.

"Most of the process of collecting user data by Google actually occurs when users are not directly related to Google products," he said.

According to Mashable, Google has denied the claims saying that the study contained wildly mislead information.

The researcher also claimed the persoalan of data suctioning also happened on Facebook, though he didn't show what the result was.

As If To Say Its Security Troubles Aren't Enough, Yahoo Is Still Reading Users Mail For Marketing Purposes

If you happen to be a Yahoo.com or AOL.com email owner, then theres a chance that your emails have been scanned or even read by employees of the company to figure out your shopping and other online habits which is then sold to advertisers.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo and AOL owner, the Oath unit of Verizon Communication Inc., has been pitching advertisers a service that scans more than 200 million inboxes for data based on consumer buying habits.

 The service works by scanning Yahoo and AOL email users inboxes so as to identify those who buy certain service or receive some targeted commercial correspondence. For example, those who receive email from AliExpress or Gearbest will be identified as those interested in shopping, while those who receive mail from Uber or Lyft will be identified as those who patronise ride-sharing service.


Tagging data is placed on those users computers according to their interests so that advertisers can  specify or sasaran adverts to them.

"Email is an expensive system," Dough Sharp, VP of data, measurements and insights at Oath, told the The Wall Street Journal. "I think it's reasonable and ethical to expect the value exchange, if you've got this mail service and there is advertising going on."

 Stringent privacy rules and the clamour for privacy by users has made the practice of scanning users inboxes for targeted ads fall out of practice. The Wall Street Journal says the practice of scanning users inboxes raises concerns about data privacy in the industry.

During these email scans, there are chances that some of the mails might have been read by human as Oath's privacy policy allows for Yahoo employees to review sections of some commercial emails.

As If To Say Its Security Troubles Aren't Enough, Yahoo Is Still Reading Users Mail For Marketing Purposes

If you happen to be a Yahoo.com or AOL.com email owner, then theres a chance that your emails have been scanned or even read by employees of the company to figure out your shopping and other online habits which is then sold to advertisers.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo and AOL owner, the Oath unit of Verizon Communication Inc., has been pitching advertisers a service that scans more than 200 million inboxes for data based on consumer buying habits.

 The service works by scanning Yahoo and AOL email users inboxes so as to identify those who buy certain service or receive some targeted commercial correspondence. For example, those who receive email from AliExpress or Gearbest will be identified as those interested in shopping, while those who receive mail from Uber or Lyft will be identified as those who patronise ride-sharing service.


Tagging data is placed on those users computers according to their interests so that advertisers can  specify or sasaran adverts to them.

"Email is an expensive system," Dough Sharp, VP of data, measurements and insights at Oath, told the The Wall Street Journal. "I think it's reasonable and ethical to expect the value exchange, if you've got this mail service and there is advertising going on."

 Stringent privacy rules and the clamour for privacy by users has made the practice of scanning users inboxes for targeted ads fall out of practice. The Wall Street Journal says the practice of scanning users inboxes raises concerns about data privacy in the industry.

During these email scans, there are chances that some of the mails might have been read by human as Oath's privacy policy allows for Yahoo employees to review sections of some commercial emails.