读者文摘:互联网时代如何保护隐私(2)

Wrapped in a Snuggie, I like to binge on reruns of The Golden Girls all by myself. Except I’m not really alone.

我喜欢裹着睡衣，一个人狂看《黄金女郎》的重播。但我并不孤单。

Once every few minutes, my TV beams out a report about what’s on my screen to Samsung, the company that made it.

每隔几分钟，我的三星电视就会向三星公司发送一份报告，显示我屏幕上的内容。

Chances are, your TV is watching you too.

很有可能，你的电视也在看着你。

Ever wonder why TVs are getting so cheap? Manufacturing efficiency plays a role.

有没有想过为何电视变得越来越便宜呢？生产效率是一个影响因素。

But it’s also because TVs have joined the ranks of websites, apps, and credit cards in the lucrative¹ business of sharing your information.

但这也是因为，电视已经加入了网站，应用和信用卡的行列，进入了分享你的信息的高利润的生意中。

Americans spend an average of three and a half hours in front of a TV each day, according to eMarketer.

据市场研究公司eMarketer，美国人平均每天看电视的时间为三个半小时。

Your TV records may not contain sensitive financial data,

你的电视记录可能不包含敏感的金融数据，

but that history is a window to your interests, joys, and embarrassments².

但是那个历史是了解你的兴趣，喜好和尴尬的窗口。

And marketers are grabbing it because, legally speaking, we gave our permission when we set up our Internet-connected smart TVs.

营销人员会获取它的原因是，从法律上讲，我们在安装上连接互联网的智能电视时，已经给出了我们的许可。

The TV makers³ sell this information to data brokers⁴, who in turn sell it to advertisers and media companies,

电视制造商把这些信息卖给数据代理公司，数据代理公司再把这些信息卖给广告商和媒体公司，

who are now able to link up what you watch with what you do on your phone, tablet, and laptop—even with what you buy in stores.

他们现在能够将你在手机、平板电脑和笔记本电脑上所看的东西与所做的事情联系起来——甚至与你在商店里买的东西联系起来。

Marketers can then retarget ads you see on TV to your computer and phone.

然后，营销人员可以将你在电视上看到的广告重新定位到你的电脑和手机上。

They can measure how many people bought their product after seeing their ad.

他们可以衡量有多少人在看了他们的广告后购买了他们的产品。

I ran an experiment on my own Samsung TV as well as new models from Samsung, TCL Roku TV, Vizio, and LG.

我用自己的三星电视以及三星、TCL罗库电视、瑞轩和LG的新机型进行了实验。

I set up each as most people do: by tapping “OK” with the remote to each on-screen prompt.

我像大多数人一样设置它们：屏幕上出现提示后，用遥控器点击“OK”。

Then, using special software from Princeton University, I watched how each model transmitted data.

然后，利用普林斯顿大学的特殊软件，我观察了每个模型是如何传输数据的。

What I found: Some TVs record and send out everything that crosses the pixels on your screen.

我发现：有些电视会记录并发送屏幕上的所有像素。

It’s not always “you” they’re after, but your behaviors help create aggregated⁵ statistical⁶ models of people who act or watch TV the way you do.

他们追踪的并不总是“你”，但你的行为帮助创建了行为方式或看电视方式与你相同的人的聚合统计模型。

Still, you might find it unnerving. When I set up my TV, I didn’t realize I could say no to any of this.

不过，你还是可能会感到不安。当我安装电视的时候，我没有意识到我可以对这些说不。

You can change your settings after the fact, if you’re prepared to hunt around in out-of-the-way menus,

如果你准备在偏僻的菜单中搜寻，你可以在事后更改你的设置，

such as “Terms and Policies.” But it may be worth the hunt.

例如“条款和政策”。“但这可能是值得的。

1 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

2 embarrassments   

n.尴尬( embarrassment的名词复数 )；难堪；局促不安；令人难堪或耻辱的事

参考例句：

• But there have been many embarrassments along the way. 但是一路走来已经是窘境不断。 来自互联网
• The embarrassments don't stop there. 让人难受的事情还没完。 来自互联网

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

5 aggregated   

a.聚合的，合计的

参考例句：

• He aggregated her to a political party. 他吸收她参加一政党。
• The audiences aggregated a million people. 观众总数达100万人。

6 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。