Editor’s note: Wired for Safety is a weekly column on cybersecurity and other tech issues. Duane Dunston is an assistant professor of cybersecurity and networking at Champlain College. He received his bachelor’s and master’s of science from Pfeiffer College. From 2001 to 2011 he worked in cybersecurity for NOAA. He is a first-year doctoral student at Northeastern University. His other activities include “You Have A Voice,” a project to develop an electronic screening assessment to identify human trafficking victims.
[I]t is that time of year when you start to make your secret list of all the wants and needs your family members and friends have been asking for all year. You spend a lot of time searching for sweet deals online. You may have figured out tricks like keeping an item in your shopping cart and, after a few days, you’ll receive an email that the price has dropped.
Even better, you receive discounted prices in ads on Facebook or as you browse the internet. The ads show up at work, home and on your mobile phone to remind you of your recent searches. Your Facebook friends can even see that you “Like” a certain product.
Sooner or later, you click on the best deal and purchase the secret gift. Is the gift secret, though?
Can we have surprise gifts in the digital advertising age? Yes, of course. You’ll have to change some habits, however. Mainly, make use of the multiple account options for the shared computer in the house. Otherwise, it becomes more difficult.
Also, if you share email accounts, you can practically forget being secretive about a gift. The retailer is more than likely going to send an email receipt. You could always purchase it from a retail outlet directly. Then again, someone in the family probably can see the purchases at a given store and put together what was purchased with a little Google search. They may even get an email or SMS alert that a purchase was made using a shared debit or credit card.
Also, even if family members don’t have the code to your phone, a notification may show up on your screen, or they may catch a glimpse of it when they peek at your phone when it makes a sound. Admit it, you’ve glanced at someone’s phone that was next to you when it made a noise — or you haven’t cleared out your phone notifications.
What about your friend who talked about a gift certificate to a specific spa? The same day, the friend sees that you “Like” that very spa. So much for the surprise gift certificate the friend receives a few weeks later.
The privacy tab doesn’t work for keeping secrets, either, because you have to log in to Amazon.com, for example, to make the purchase. The privacy tab is of no use in this case because when you log in to Amazon, for example, the company knows who you are and the advertisements start displaying on that shared computer.
How can you be secretive in a digital ad world until you make the purchase?
1. You’ll have to create multiple accounts on your computer and sign out when you are done. Also, you’ll have to stop sharing your password for your computer account. And stop sharing your one email account and password with others.
2. You could use a temporary email service if the company you’re purchasing from isn’t blocking that type of service. A temporary email service allows you to have an email address for 10 minutes to 24 hours, depending on the service, and then the account disappears.
3. Set aside some cash each week and get a reloadable credit card from a bank. You can then take the cash to the bank, load up your card, set up an email account only for online secret gift purchases and make the purchase.
4. Got a snooping friend or family member who just has to know what you purchased for them? Remember, set up a separate account on the shared computer. Also, lock the apps on your phone with a passcode. Here’s how for IOS or an option for Android.
Just a few tips to keep that gift secret until the wrapping paper comes off.
