Verizon’s giving AOL all the data it will soon collect on you - The Washington Post

Tangentially, see Data privacy, one of these days (Boston Globe) for a Bruce Schneier security reality check

"Internet users these days are largely accustomed to having their activity tracked by the services they use: Google reads your Gmail. Facebook monitors which stories you click on. And so on.

Now Verizon wants to expand its role in this universe by sharing what it knows about you with AOL.

What makes this potentially controversial is not only the growing role broadband providers play in data collection and ad targeting generally, but the specific technology Verizon is deploying to that end. Verizon is using what experts call a "supercookie," a piece of software that helps distinguish you from everyone else on the Internet."

Verizon’s giving AOL all the data it will soon collect on you - The Washington Post