The Bridge for Understanding – Online Privacy

“People don’t truly care about privacy” – Seth Godin

“. . . I would say that privacy matters most to me in my email, and less so in my profiles on social networks.” – Rohit Bhargava (Influential Marketing Blog)

These two comments appeared on their respective blogs in mid-December, primarily in response to the controversy created by Facebook’s “Beacon”.

After reading the various blog posts, news stories, and also seeing “Block Beacon” plug-ins for Firefox and various other methods to protect privacy, I stumbled upon this video.

Now, I’ve always agreed that if a picture says a thousand words, a video says a million – but THIS video says it all. With a “Hal-like” voiceover (yes, that’s a “2001: A Space Odyssey” reference), the complex issue of personal privacy and online identity is explored, explained and made simple.

I think this video should be required viewing for all online marketers – or any (company) considering online marketing. Not only does it illuminate what can be gained as a marketer – but it also explains, in a totally non-sensational way, what there is to be lost as a consumer.

If the two were ever at odds over this issue (and you know we are), this video builds a bridge for understanding. Watch it now.