NBCUniversal's Cookie Notice: So, They Admit They're Tracking Us?
Okay, NBCUniversal, let's get one thing straight: this "Cookie Notice" ain't fooling anyone. It's corporate-speak for "we're watching your every move online, and we're not even a little bit sorry about it." They dress it up with fancy words like "first-party cookies" and "third-party cookies," but let's be real, it's all about collecting data to sell us more crap.
They’re tracking us across devices, using “cross-device tracking.” Seriously? Is nothing sacred anymore? They say you can opt out, but good luck navigating that labyrinth of settings and opt-out pages. It's like they want to make it as confusing as possible so most people just give up and click "Accept All."
The Illusion of Choice
This whole "cookie management" section is a joke. "Depending on where you live, you may be able to adjust your Cookie preferences." May be able to? Give me a break. It's buried in the footer of some website, and even if you find it, you're still wading through a swamp of legalese.
And then there’s the line: “If you reject these Cookies, you may see contextual advertising that may be less relevant to you.” Oh, so the alternative to being stalked is… being shown irrelevant ads? What a choice! It’s like choosing between being punched in the face and being kicked in the shin.
They even admit they share data with social media platforms. "These Cookies are set by social media platforms on the Services to enable you to share content with your friends and networks. Social media platforms have the ability to track your online activity outside of the Services. This may impact the content and messages you see on other services you visit." Well, duh. We all know Facebook is listening, but it's still infuriating to see them admit it in plain English, offcourse.
The Fine Print Nightmare
Buried deep in the text, they admit: "We and third parties may associate Measurement And Analytics Cookies, Personalization Cookies, Content Selection, Delivery Cookies, and Reporting, Ad Selection, Delivery and Reporting Cookies, and Social Media Cookies with other information we have about you." Translation: they're building a comprehensive profile on each and every one of us. For what? To sell us slightly better targeted ads?
They say, "Strictly Necessary Cookies: These Cookies are required for Service functionality…" But are they really necessary? Or are they just necessary for NBCUniversal to maximize profits? This is where I start to wonder if I'm being paranoid, but then I remember the Cambridge Analytica scandal and think, nope, I'm probably not paranoid enough.
So, What Can We Do?
Honestly, I don't know.
We can try to manage our cookie settings, install ad blockers, and use privacy-focused browsers. But let's be real, it's a constant arms race. They'll find new ways to track us, and we'll find new ways to block them. It’s a never-ending cycle.
And even if we manage to protect our own privacy, what about everyone else? What about the people who don't know about these tracking technologies, or don't have the technical skills to protect themselves? Are we just going to let them be exploited? Maybe I'm tilting at windmills here...
