Data Mining = Understanding

     There is a saying, there are two certainties in life, death and taxes. I think a new saying is on the horizon, there are three certainties in life, death, taxes and advertisements. You cannot escape advertising. Internet advertising is perhaps the most customized towards potential customers because cookies are embedded in websites and they track your progress through that particular website. In fact some websites do not work correctly if you disable cookies. When I encounter that pop up window, I realize my free browsing is at that company's expense. The choice is if I want to continue on this website and accept cookies or reject the cookies and leave the website. I have done both, depending on how much I need information from that website.
     There is the need for maintenance, use a separate email address so it is easier to delete unwanted emails. Use common sense, stranger danger, meaning don't open emails or attachments if you don't know the sender or source. Install a firewall, virus scan software, spam filters. I made a junk email address years ago, I would estimate 95%  of the email is deleted. The other 5% is useful advertising. I still manage to get advertising email in my personal and work email addresses so they are inescapable.
     I understand data mining is the impetus that pushes internet advertising. There is no escaping the collection of my personal information when I am on the internet. I do not own my personal information. I do not like this but I agree to it because as Ro said in his post, I refuse to give up my own access to the internet. I search for and rely on the information provided via the internet for too many things.