Google Offering To Pay Web Users To Track Their Every Move

Google offering to pay web users to track their every move

By Tecca | Today in Tech – 9 hrs ago





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Screenwise project is designed to send usage data using browser plugin or special hardware

Less than a month after announcing a that shares user data across all its sites with no opt-out option, Google is introducing a system to monitor all online activity of those who participate in a program called Screenwise. In exchange for unrestricted access to information on your every online move, the search and software giant is offering financial compensation.

By signing up for Screenwise and installing a browser plugin (only Google Chrome is supported at present), you'll be given $5 in store credit on Amazon. For every three months you continue to provide Google with browsing data, you'll earn an addition $5 gift card, up to a total of $25. Only those over 13 can participate and, perhaps not surprisingly, signups are currently on hold due to overwhelming interest.

For those willing to make their online lives a completely open book, Google plans to offer a more elaborate tracking system that utilizes special hardware. The device, which connects to your broadband router, will monitor the online activity of all computers in your home. This program, which isn't available yet, will compensate participants $100 for signing up and $20 a month for up to a year.

While the idea of getting paid to browse the web might sound win-win, it's important to note that Screenwise will track private browsing data in its Chrome extension (though supposedly won't link it to you directly) and will share data with third-parties should you opt for the hardware-based option.


Source -- http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/google-offering-pay-users-track-every-move-173533318.html

From M.o.1 -- This starts out as a "let us pay you to monitor your activity" but this is just a precedent as well as a beta test. They have to get people use to publically being monitored. They already monitor every single thing you do on the internet right now but it just isn't public now.