{"id":26052,"date":"2024-01-31T05:45:05","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T13:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/?p=26052"},"modified":"2024-01-31T05:45:07","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T13:45:07","slug":"how-massive-server-to-server-data-transfers-threaten-privacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/how-massive-server-to-server-data-transfers-threaten-privacy\/","title":{"rendered":"How Massive Server-to-Server Data Transfers Represent a Hidden Threat to Privacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s well known that we are routinely tracked whenever we use the internet. Most people also understand that the primary business model online is surveillance advertising, whereby huge quantities of personal data are collected and aggregated in order to provide information for highly targeted digital advertising. While those facts are common knowledge, we still lack detailed analysis of what exactly happens when we view pages and buy things online. This makes a new study about the nature and scale of US surveillance advertising<\/a> from respected non-profit organization Consumer Reports particularly welcome, even if its findings are disturbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report notes that there have been several important wins in privacy law and technology recently. These have imposed what it calls \u201cmodest constraints on the surveillance economy.\u201d New privacy laws have been brought in, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act. They\u2019ve given consumers the right to opt out of tracking by introducing measures such as requiring companies to respond to \u201cauthorized agents\u201d designated by consumers to exercise their privacy rights. Moreover, digital platforms from Apple and Firefox have rolled out technology that limits the ability of sites and apps to track users across different contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironically, these successes have led to a new, hitherto underappreciated problem: server-to-server data flows. The direct transfer of data from companies to digital platforms such as Meta to facilitate the placement of targeted ads (for example, on Facebook pages) occurs outside browsers or apps. It is therefore invisible to users and beyond their direct control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Meta\u2019s Download Your Information<\/em> tool provides some insights into these server-to-server transfers. Drawing on its six-million-plus members, Consumer Reports asked people to enrol in a Facebook Surveillance Study so it could consolidate this data and use it to illuminate the scale of server-to-server transfers of personal data by companies for the purpose of targeted ads. A total of 709 sets of data were gathered and analyzed. While this is a relatively small sample, it\u2019s a useful first insight into what\u2019s going on in the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Consumer Reports research revealed the following findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n