Ever hear the story about the frog that was placed in a pan of lukewarm water? The temperature of the water was raised a degree at a time, and before the frog even thought about jumping out he was cooked.
Some marketers gather information about you in much the same fashion, a degree at a time. Then, before you know it, your privacy is fried.
Consider the convenient lure of self-printed e-tickets.
Online event ticketing is big business -- and will become even bigger. In two years e-ticket sales are expected to increase six-fold, accounting for nearly 5 percent of the total ticketing market, according to research firm Jupiter Communications.
Forrester Research goes on to predict the market will grow to $3.9 billion by 2004.
Now Ticketmaster Online and E-Stamp Corp. (estm) (the stamp-printing company) have announced plans to let you print your own passes at home, eliminating the hassle of waiting for your tickets to arrive by snail mail.
But dot-calm down. Before you take the bait, consider the price you'll pay for this convenience -- in terms of personal privacy.
According to Tom Stockman of Ticketmaster, bar codes on your self-printed e-tickets will contain, at a minimum, information about:
who you are,
what seat you're in, and
the location, date and time of the event you are attending.
In addition, those bar codes can have a host of other details, depending upon what the event's promoters want to know. Information such as:
how you paid for the ticket,
whether you are a VIP club member,
whether you are a patron of the arts organization involved,
and if you also bought a T-shirt or other souvenir with your ticket purchase.
You get the (grim) picture.
Another hurdle facing e-tickets: Skeptics warn that home-printed tickets may be easier to forge, and they question whether vendors will invest in expensive technology to spot phonies.
Already, Ticketmaster Online (TMCS) has outfitted several venues, including the Staples Stadium in Los Angeles, with barcode machines that recognize its home-printed tickets. E-stamp Corp., meanwhile, intends to license its technology to other entertainment and event companies.
My guess is that e-ticket providers will try to sell you on the convenience of their new service ... and leave out the part about your privacy. So just remember the frog.
