2006-08-16 21:12:54 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Internet
The obvious answer is spam... the motive, not so obvious :
Everyone sells you out. Your bank, your credit card company, and any business that has your home address/phone number. Same thing with websites...
If someone has your personal information on record, and that record is part of company property, then they can do whatever they wish to do with that information.
Even worse : if you own any kind of property, if you owe any business money, if you do ANYTHING remotely related with socializing with the world. Then information on you is put up somewhere publicly. Either by businesses, or by the government and their public records.
There's big money to be made in data mining (that's what it's called) and if you're curious, you should look it up on Wikipedia.
In this day and age, information is a commodity. The more of it that you have, the more of it you can sell. And there's a LOT of money to be made from companies selling out personal information to solicitors.
2006-08-16 21:23:59 · answer #1 · answered by RemyK 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Free websites are paid for by advertising. One of the ways they do this is by (optionally) sending you advertising emails. It is important to understand that this is NOT spam, since you are agreeing to receive them! The definition of spam is 'Unsolicited Email' - by saying that you agree, you are soliciting the occasional email from them or their partners. Your agreement is part of the way you 'pay' for using their services. Of course, what you do with those emails is your affair. You can, of course, block the addresses they are sent from.
It is important to check their Privacy Statement carefully before you do sign. They will not usually sell your information or share it with anyone except their 'partners'. If the Privacy Statement is at all hazy about this, it is best not to sign up with them. They should state clearly what they will and will not do with the information they request. If they ask for payment details, it should say why and exactly if and when they will charge you (if they do) and how you can cancel, if it's a free trial period, for example.
It is NOT true, as some people here seem to think, that they can do whatever they want with your information. They can only do with it what you agree that they can do with it. ALWAYS READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND ANY PRIVACY STATEMENT!
2006-08-17 04:22:01 · answer #2 · answered by Owlwings 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
From Economic pt of view, there is no free lunch in this world.
You get something in exchange for others.
you got the free websute in exchange for your personal information which they can sell to 3rd party and u have agreed with the terms and conditions when you clicked on the 'yes' button
2006-08-17 04:18:25 · answer #3 · answered by City hunter 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
the word FREE on the internet has a different meaning.. You can sign up but you'd later find out that they're asking you for an amount for the use of their FREE SERVICE...
2006-08-17 04:17:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
There are a lot of fraudsters around, and so usually a fraudster wouldn't waste time signing up to things..
2006-08-17 04:16:27 · answer #5 · answered by SilentAssassin 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Because there's no such thing as a free lunch... or a free website.
2006-08-17 04:16:54 · answer #6 · answered by Kitia_98 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
so they can get ur email and also they might have a question in the middel to make a survey or something :)
2006-08-17 04:18:32 · answer #7 · answered by Kalypsee 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
nothin is free .. they sell the demogrphic and th eyeballs to their marketing peeps
2006-08-17 04:23:18 · answer #8 · answered by tonkatruk_2001 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For evidence to the paying sponsors.. Its very annoying!!
2006-08-17 04:17:19 · answer #9 · answered by ? 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
to send u' junk and full of crap mails mate
2006-08-17 04:25:52 · answer #10 · answered by mortal_sinner 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋