Internet Threatens Privacy

互联网威胁个人隐私

In the past, if a shop manager wanted to know you better, he had to rely on a good memory for detail.

在过去，如果一个商店经理想更好地了解你，他不得不有能够记住细节的好记忆力。

They came out from behind the counter to give you personalized service, browsed the shelves with you and made recommendations.

他们从柜台后面走出来给你个性化的服务，浏览架子上的商品，并给出建议。

Sometimes their recommendations were made with uncanny accuracy, based on hints they picked up about who you are and what you might want.

借助于他们对你的认识，和他们掌握的你的需求的信息，有时候他们能够给出异常精确的推荐。

They are old tricks for winning loyal customers.

这些是赢得忠实的客户的老把戏了。

Now take those tricks, add massive computing power and multiply the effect by a million.

现在利用这些技巧，加上巨大的计算能力，那么效果是原先的百万倍。

That's what is happening these days on the World Wide Web.

这就是如今在万维网上发生的一切。

On the Web, businesses are making great effort to know you better than you may know yourself.

在网上，企业正努力地增进对客户的了解，甚至比客户本人还能认清自己。

It's called personalization. Many e-commerce firms are betting their future on it.

这就叫个性化。很多电子商务公司在赌他们的未来。

In this digital marketplace, the "shop manager" may actually be a machine.

在这个数码市场，“商店经理”却有可能是一台机器。

It searches in its memory of information about you, analyzes it and creates a clear portrait of what you are likely to buy and do in the future.

它可以从内存中搜索到你，分析数据，并且描绘出你今后很可能会买什么和做什么。

Not all companies approach personalization in the same way.

不是所有的公司都会用同样的方法达到个性化。