Who Owns Surfing Data?

Who owns a user's surfing data? Is it the user? That user's ISP? The websites that user goes to? The Government? It's a question that really hasn't been answered yet.

Certainly one could make the argument that a user's activities are their own. If you pay in cash, no one can track what stores you shop at, what restaurants you eat at, etc, unless you share that data. (Well, a person could be tracked, but not in a cost effective manner).

But what about ISP's? Don't they, in some respect, hold a vested interest in what sites you visit. If things continue as they are, and ISP's are going to be the policing arm of the internet (as they are in France and as they soon may be in England), then don't they have a vested interest in watching where you go? In some places, they could be held liable for what a user looks at.

And websites? Well, most websites provide free content. They generate revenue through ads, and more and more often these are targeted ads. Since these websites are providing a service to you for free, don't they have a right to use your data to place targeted ads on their website, in order to monetize their service. If they can't monetize it, then they can't offer it for free.

But where are the limits? If my web surfing habits are tracked, doesn't that raise a huge privacy issue, not too mention potential monetary risks? If I'm looking at books and articles about lung cancer, and that data can be used without my permission, isn't it possible that my employer or my insurance company could find out what I'm looking at and my health insurance rates could then go up. Or what if a user is looking at porn when the kids are asleep. Will they then get pornography ads when the kids are awake?

I think there need to be clear guidelines over what data can be collected, who can access it, and how it can be used. If not, the data collected on the internet about a user's surfing habits could be become potentially damaging. This is a frightening prospect, and more step closer to an Orwellian reality.