Category «Competitive Intelligence»

We Found 650,000 Ways Advertisers Label You

If you spend any time online, you probably have some idea that the digital ad industry is constantly collecting data about you, including a lot of personal information, and sorting you into specialized categories so you’re more likely to buy the things they advertise to you. But in a rare look at just how deep—and weird—the rabbit hole of targeted advertising gets, Investigative Data Journalist Jon Keegan and Visualizations Engineer Joel Eastwood of the The Markup analyzed a database of 650,000 of these audience segments, newly unearthed on the website of Microsoft’s ad platform Xandr. The trove of data indicates that advertisers could also target people based on sensitive information like being “heavy purchasers” of pregnancy test kits, having an interest in brain tumors, being prone to depression, visiting places of worship, or feeling “easily deflated” or that they “get a raw deal out of life.”

Subjects: Big Data, Civil Liberties, Competitive Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Data Mining, E-Commerce, Health, Privacy

2023 Finding People MiniGuide

This guide by Marcus P. Zillman is a selected list of free and fee based (some require subscriptions), people finding resources, from a range of providers. A significant number of free sources on this subject matter are sourced from public records obtained by a group of companies who initially offer free information to establish your interest, from which point a more extensive report requires a fee to obtain. It is important to note that can be many errors in these data, including the inability to correctly de-duplicated individuals with the same common names. Also note that each service targets a different mix of identifying data such as: name, address, date of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, relatives, education, employment, criminal records. social media accounts, income. As we conduct research throughout the day it is useful to employ both impromptu and planned searches about individuals that are referenced.

Subjects: Business Research, Competitive Intelligence, KM, Public Records, Search Engines, Search Strategies

Your Resume: Portrait or Passport Photo? Career Development for Lawyers—And Other Ambitious People

Jerry Lawson discusses how a good resume is more like a stylish portrait photo. A top portrait photographer uses lenses, lighting, composition, props and other tools to bring out the subject’s best features in an original way. Your resume should do no less for your professional qualifications. This actionable guide clearly identifies the elements and components that comprise an outstanding resume for attorneys and other legal professionals.

Subjects: Communication Skills, Competitive Intelligence, Job Hunting, KM, Legal Profession, Search Engines, Social Media

Web Guide for the New Economy 2022

Accurate and actionable data on the economy is critical to many aspects of our research and scholarship. This guide by research expert Marcus P. Zillman provides researchers with links to information on a range of sources focused on new economy data and analysis from the public and private sectors, as well as scholarly work, news, government information, reports and alerts. Many of these sources should find a place in your customized research toolkit. The sites recommended in this guide are all free to use, and they are published by advocacy, government, corporate, academic, international financial groups and research experts. Many of the sites are updated on a regular basis, so it is recommended that you use RSS feeds or alerts to remain abreast of changes.

Subjects: Big Data, Business Research, Competitive Intelligence, Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Resources, Internet Resources, KM, Legal Research, Search Strategies, United States Law

Propaganda, Mis- and Disinformation, and Censorship: The War for Hearts and Minds

Author and blogger Dave Pollard addresses the incendiary global war of lies vs. truth, reminiscent of the MAD Magazine cartoon Spy Vs. Spy for those who of us who can recall the scenarios they played which remain eerily prescient. Pollard posits the most effective way to win and retain political power is by seizing the hearts and minds of citizens through a mix of propaganda, mis- and disinformation, and censorship. He continues, this is especially true now, living with a ubiquitous and unceasing firehose of often-conflicting information, and exploitative for-profit “social” media controlled by a handful of dimwitted and unstable western oligarchs.

Subjects: Communications, Competitive Intelligence, Ethics, Free Speech, Information Management, KM, News Resources, Social Media

Using News and Social Media for Finding Financial Assets – 5 Top Tips

Private investigator Marcy Phelps searches social media and online news for clients on a daily basis and recommends specific sources as useful for asset investigations. Phelps notes that not everything will show up in public records, and news and social media research helps fill in the gaps. Phelps shares a few examples of useful sources and strategies that made a difference for clients.

Subjects: Business Research, Competitive Intelligence, Search Strategies, Social Media

Information Quality Resources 2022

Librarians, researchers, journalists, teachers and students are continually confronted with what can be described as a kind of information miasma when using online sites, databases, resources, images and social media. No sector or discipline is immune to misinformation, disinformation, hoaxes, lack of data quality, and biased research. This guide by Marcus Zillman highlights actionable resources to evaluate and identify online malfeasance, as well as sources to verify information and data quality that is critical to our professions. These two efforts often intersect, and require vigilance and continuing education respective to effectively confronting the challenges they present.

Subjects: Big Data, Competitive Intelligence, Education, Information Management, Internet Resources - Web Links, KM, Libraries & Librarians, Reference Resources, Search Strategies, Social Media, Technology Trends, Viruses & Hoaxes

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 16, 2022

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: You can actually make that old laptop last longer; Law Enforcement and Technology: Using Social Media; Google Drive accounted for the most malware downloads from cloud storage sites in 2021; and The Spine Collector: Man arrested for using fake email addresses to steal hundreds of unpublished manuscripts.

Subjects: Big Data, Competitive Intelligence, CRS Reports, Cybersecurity, Email Security, Government Resources, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

Remote Work Proves the Firm Library Is More Than a Physical Space

Marshall Voizard is a law firm reference supervisor. He shares significant insights into the profession in the time of COVID. Voizard states that the past 18 months have accelerated positive changes, illustrating to all that the library is no longer primarily a physical place, but rather an entire ecosystem of electronic legal information resources. Our expert guidance is needed more than ever.

Subjects: Business Research, Competitive Intelligence, KM, Law Librarians, Legal Marketing, Library Marketing, Online Legal Research Services, Technology Trends

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 11, 2021

Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: Convincing Microsoft phishing uses fake Office 365 spam alert; Consumer Reports conducted an in-depth test of 16 well-known VPNs; How and why people use password managers; and Senator Doubles Down On Data Privacy, Sends Letter to CFPB.

Subjects: Big Data, Business Research, Competitive Intelligence, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Financial System, Privacy, Social Media, Technology Trends