Fergie's Tech Blog

Concerns Arise Over Microsoft Research in China into 'Profiling' Internet Uers

Via Reporters sans Frontières.

Reporters Without Borders is worried about a report in the British magazine The New Scientist that a Microsoft laboratory based in China is carrying out research [.pdf] on software that can analyse the behaviour of Internet users with precision and draw up a profile of them (their age, sex, geographic origin and so on). The US software corporation’s aim is get to know its users better in order to deliver targeted advertising.

“The technologies Microsoft is working on would allow it to gather information about Internet users without their knowledge,” the press freedom organisation said. “These technologies could eventually lead to the creation of programmes that could identify ‘subversive’ citizens. This is obviously not Microsoft’s intention. But we believe it is unacceptable to carry out this kind of sensitive research in a country such as China where 50 people are currently in prison because of what they posted online.”

posted by Fergie @ 6/01/2007 04:19:00 PM