When do people Sell their Personal Information?
I consider selling to be a specific form of trading--the form in which one of the goods or services being exchanged is money.
I use the word "trading" to describe the act of giving something (thing "A") to someone and receiving something (thing "B") in return. Sometimes, things A and B are goods--such as pizza, tennis balls, or computer parts; and sometimes they're services--such as a back massage, gardening labor, or flute lessons.
Two more examples of goods are money and information. For example, people sell the rights to patented electronic designs, software licenses, pharmaceutical formulas, and food recipes; in exchange for US Dollars, Japanese yen, European Euros, and British Pounds (listed here in no particular order). People also trade those forms of currency for one another.
One type of information among those that are traded is personal information. Types of personal information include a person's name, phone number, home address, profession, friends' names and addresses, social security number, etc.
People trade their personal information for services when we register software in order to get a free 1-year subscription to tech support for that software; and when we agree to allow Google to access our location in order to more quickly give us directions to our destination. We even do it when we give our personal phone number to home delivery companies such as UPS and FedEx in exchange for the convenience of them "texting" us once our package has been delivered.
People trade their personal information for goods when we send in a rebate form (loaded with personal details) in exchange for $10.00 off a new computer accessory; or when requesting a free sample of a Schick Disposable razor, as Walmart is offering today (to include one contemporary, specific example).
What other examples can you think of in which people, either knowingly or unknowingly, sell (or trade) their personal information in exchange for goods or services?
I use the word "trading" to describe the act of giving something (thing "A") to someone and receiving something (thing "B") in return. Sometimes, things A and B are goods--such as pizza, tennis balls, or computer parts; and sometimes they're services--such as a back massage, gardening labor, or flute lessons.
Two more examples of goods are money and information. For example, people sell the rights to patented electronic designs, software licenses, pharmaceutical formulas, and food recipes; in exchange for US Dollars, Japanese yen, European Euros, and British Pounds (listed here in no particular order). People also trade those forms of currency for one another.
One type of information among those that are traded is personal information. Types of personal information include a person's name, phone number, home address, profession, friends' names and addresses, social security number, etc.
People trade their personal information for services when we register software in order to get a free 1-year subscription to tech support for that software; and when we agree to allow Google to access our location in order to more quickly give us directions to our destination. We even do it when we give our personal phone number to home delivery companies such as UPS and FedEx in exchange for the convenience of them "texting" us once our package has been delivered.
People trade their personal information for goods when we send in a rebate form (loaded with personal details) in exchange for $10.00 off a new computer accessory; or when requesting a free sample of a Schick Disposable razor, as Walmart is offering today (to include one contemporary, specific example).
What other examples can you think of in which people, either knowingly or unknowingly, sell (or trade) their personal information in exchange for goods or services?
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