Web Tracking - A Literature Review on the State of Research

Web tracking seems to become ubiquitous in online business and leads to increased privacy concerns of users. This paper provides an overview over the current state of the art of web-tracking research, aiming to reveal the relevance and methodologies of this research area and creates a foundation for future work. In particular, this study addresses the following research questions: What methods are followed? What results have been achieved so far? What are potential future research areas? For these goals, a structured literature review based upon an established methodological framework is conducted. The identified articles are investigated with respect to the applied research methodologies and the aspects of web tracking they emphasize

Using Automatic Identification System Data in Vessel Route Prediction and Seaport Operations

In this paper, the authors perform a comprehensive literature review on the use of data obtained from the Automatic Identification System, with an emphasis on vessel route prediction and seaport operations. The usage of Automatic Identification System vessel’s position data in the vessel route prediction and seaport operations has been analyzed, to prove that Automatic Identification System data has a large potential to improve the efficiency of maritime transport. The authors concluded that proper vessel route prediction and route planning can improve voyage safety and reduce unnecessary costs. Furthermore, AIS can provide port authorities with early warnings, allowing them to take preemptive action to avoid possible congestions and unnecessary costs

I Spy with my Little Sensor Eye - Effect of Data-Tracking and Convenience on the Intention to Use Smart Technology.

The increasing number of smart objects in private households leads to a profound invasion of privacy. Based on privacy calculus theory, we assume that many users accept tracking in exchange for full functioning and convenience. However, privacy calculus has not yet been tested in an area where privacy protection is a binary decision: to either use a product or not. Therefore, we examined the effect of convenience and tracking on the intention to use a smart device in a 2 x 2 between-subjects online experiment (N = 209). While convenience is a major factor for the willingness to deploy smart technology, users do not seem to care whether these devices track their personal data or not

The Effect of Nudges and Boosts on Browsing Privacy in a Naturalistic Environment

During everyday web browsing and search users reveal many pieces of private information to third parties. Even though people report being concerned about their privacy online, they often do not take steps to protect it. This is known as the 'privacy paradox' in the literature. In this work we study two well-known strategies based on theories from the behavioral sciences, nudging and boosting, which encourage users to browse in a way that their private data are less exposed. First, an online survey (N=127) tested the comprehensibility and efficacy of various facts (boosts), before the most effective of these were evaluated against 'nudge' interventions previously shown to be efficacious in lab-studies. A three week naturalistic study (N=68) using a browser extension revealed that both nudges and boosts improve browsing privacy, as approximated by different measures. Boosts are also shown to improve user knowledge about privacy in the short term, but the benefit weakens over time

Un sistema di Session Tracking e Threat Evaluation per Applicazioni Web basato su Honeytoken

In questa tesi ho portato avanti lo sviluppo di un sistema di Session Tracking e Threat Evaluation per Applicazioni Web basato su Honeytoken. Il suo compito è quello di mettere a disposizione dei meccanismi che permettano all'amministratore di un sito web di tenere traccia delle azioni che gli utenti effettuano su quest'ultimo, in più deve essere in grado di distinguere delle richieste potenzialmente dannose sfruttando una tecnica di deception come gli Honeytoken a base Web. Per il tracciamento degli utenti è stato deciso, dopo aver consultato lo stato dell'arte in tema di tecniche di Web Tracking, di utilizzare dei cookie di sessione: strumento oggigiorno estremamente diffuso ed utilizzato all'interno di qualsiasi genere di sito web. Dopo aver sviluppato sia il plugin Wordpress che registrerà le richieste degli utenti, sia gli altri sottosistemi che si occuperanno di valutare il livello di minaccia e rappresentare in maniera grafica i dati, sono passato alla fase di testing che mi ha permesso di constatare l'effettiva efficacia del sistema e dei suoi meccanismi proattivi di difesa che permettono di limitare quegli utenti etichettati come pericolosi

Plugins and POPI: A Critical Discussion into the Legal Implications of Social Plugins and the Protection of Personal Information

Social plugins are one of the many trackers used by companies with an online presence. However, under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPI), these trackers have certain legal consequences for internet users. The main reason for this is that trackers tend to process personal information without informing internet users that their data are being collected, the reason for the collection or processing thereof, or who the responsible parties are that are collecting and processing the personal information. The article looks at these issues, amongst others, in the light of a 2019 judgment from the Court of Justice of the European Union or CJEU, namely, Case C-40/17 Fashion ID GmbH & Co. KG v Verbraucherzentrale NRW e.V. EU:C:2019:629. Due to the fact that it has had data protection legislation for much longer than other countries or legal jurisdictions, including South Africa, the European Union (the EU) has a substantial body of case law interpreting the data protection legislation of the EU itself as well as that of the individual member states. One of the main instruments used as guidance by the drafters of POPI was Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the Protection of Individuals with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data and on the Free Movement of Such Data (hereafter Directive 95/46). Directive 95/46 was previously considered the gold standard, before Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the Protection of Natural Persons with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data and on the Free Movement of Such Data (General Data Protection Regulation) (hereafter the GDPR) was enacted and Directive 95/46/EC was finally repealed. Since Directive 95/46 was one of the main guiding documents used in drafting POPI, one may expect that the South African courts may turn to the EU and consider how the CJEU has interpreted the similar provisions contained in Directive 95/46, especially since there is very little South African jurisprudence available on POPI. The four main issues under discussion are: who, other than the internet users, has the locus standi to bring an application in terms of POPI? Second, what are the responsibilities of joint responsible parties towards internet users? Third, where there are joint responsible parties, do both need a legitimate interest to process personal information? Lastly, who will be responsible for obtaining the necessary consent to process the personal data

Footstep: An Approach to Track Web Usage in Real Time

Compreender o comportamento do usuário é primordial para o sucesso de um website. As abordagens existentes que exploram análise do comportamento dos usuários utilizam os logs de servidor. Esses logs possuem detalhes sobre o que cada usuário acessou, como, por exemplo, uma loja online. Embora os logs sejam úteis ao fornecer uma boa percepção a respeito do comportamento dos usuários, eles não fornecem informações detalhadas sobre as ações realizadas pelos mesmos nas páginas acessadas. A fim de atacar este problema, este trabalho propõe o Footstep, um sistema completo que fornece coleta, processamento e análise dos eventos disparados pelos usuários, no nível dos elementos das páginas. Footstep fornece rastreamento dos usuários à medida em que navegam pelas páginas, coletando informações sobre a estrutura DOM dos elementos associados a cada evento. Footstep fornece também um modelo de dados baseado em grafos que facilita a extração de informação útil dos eventos coletados. Finalmente, uma ferramenta analítica é fornecida para visualizar as informações a respeito das interações sobre as páginas e elementos, como audiência, fluxos de navegação e taxas de conversão das páginas e elementos

Strategies Uber Drivers Use to Enhance Competitive Advantage for Increased Profits and Incomes

AbstractUber drivers are usually from economically disadvantaged groups, with most drivers reporting lower incomes than typical workers. Uber drivers who fail to improve their profits and incomes lower their families’ standard of living. Grounded in transaction cost theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies that Uber drivers use to enhance competitive advantage for increasing their profits and incomes. The participants were six Uber drivers in Lagos, Nigeria who successfully used strategies to enhance competitive advantage and increase their profits and incomes. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, financial transactions with Uber, transactions from car rental companies, and transactions from offline trips with customers. Thematic analysis of the data revealed four themes: technologies, surge pricing and profitable trips, flexible work hours, and customer service and relationships. A key recommendation for Uber drivers is to familiarize themselves with the available technologies and engage in surge pricing. The implications for positive social change include the potential for Uber drivers to achieve long-term sustainable growth, generate employment, reduce poverty, and enhance local communities’ economic well-being

Die Welt ohne Cookies : Herausforderungen, Chancen, Lösungsansätze und Technologien für das digitale Werbe-Ökosystem

Im Januar 2020 kündigte Google an, die Third-Party Cookies aus ihrem Browser Chrome bis Anfang des Jahres 2022 zu eliminieren. Diese Mitteilung hat zu Widerstand des digitalen Werbe-Ökosystems geführt, weshalb in der Öffentlichkeit darüber berichtet und nach Lösungsansätzen gesucht wird. Obwohl die technologisch komplexe Cookie-Architektur den automatisierten Handel von Werbeplätzen sowie die gezielte personalisierte Werbung im Browserumfeld ermöglicht hat, hat sich das digitale Werbe-Ökosystem zunehmend davon abhängig gemacht. Dabei werden vor allem die Rollen des Open Webs im Vergleich zu den Walled Gardens (z.B. Google oder Facebook) von dieser Entscheidung betroffen sein, da der Zugang zu User-Daten erschwert werden könnte. Die Zukunft des Werbe-Ökosystems scheint somit von hoher Unsicherheit geprägt. Diese Thesis befasst sich daher mit den Fragen, welche zukünftigen Herausforderungen und Chancen für das digitale Werbe-Ökosystem mit der Eliminierung der Third-Party Cookies entstehen könnten. Auch wie diesen Herausforderungen begegnet werden kann und welche Technologien sich zukünftig durchsetzen könnten. Die initiale Literaturrecherche trägt dazu bei, das komplexe digitale Werbe-Ökosystem sowie angewandte Technologien aufzuzeigen. Die Forschungsfragen werden anhand zwei Methoden-Schritten beantwortet. Der erste Schritt beinhaltet Experteninterviews, um die zukünftigen Herausforderungen und Chancen zu identifizieren. Im zweiten Schritt wird eine Real-Time Delphi durchgeführt, um mögliche Lösungsansätze und zukünftige Technologieentwicklungen zu explorieren. Zum Schluss werden die daraus gewonnenen Erkenntnisse mit der Literatur verknüpft und Handlungsempfehlungen für die Rollen des Werbe-Ökosystems abgegeben. Mit den Implikationen für das junge Forschungsgebiet und einem Ausblick wird die vorliegende Studie abgerundet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen auf, dass mit der Löschung dieser Cookies auf Chrome zukünftig nicht nur technologische Herausforderungen für den programmatischen Handel aufkommen könnten, sondern von weiteren Faktoren beeinflusst werden. Dazu zählen die hohe Dynamik und Komplexität am Werbemarkt, der Konkurrenzdruck, die gesellschaftliche Erwartungshaltung vom «kostenfreien» Internet sowie Regulierungen, welche zu mehr Transparenz bei der Verwendung und Verarbeitung von User-Daten auffordern. Die Expertinnen und Experten sind sich einig, dass alle Unternehmen unter anderem eine First-Party-Datenstrategie verfolgen sollten, um zukünftig konkurrenzfähig zu bleiben sowie weiterhin persönliche Werbung schalten zu können. Um auch in Zukunft programmatisch handeln zu können, sollten sie sich zudem mit den ID-Lösungen auseinanderzusetzen, welche sich am Markt durchsetzen könnten. Der wichtigste Faktor scheint der gebotene Mehrwert zu sein, um die User von der Freigabe ihrer Daten zu überzeugen. Denn diese Daten werden auch in Zukunft das wichtigste Gut des Werbemarktes darstellen. Dabei könnte eine Chance sein, dass die User als «Datenlieferanten» zukünftig eine zentralere Rolle im Ökosystem einnehmen. Die Erkenntnisse der Studie sind dabei nicht verallgemeinerbar, sondern sollen zur Diskussion über eine unsichere Zukunft anregen