Cyber mapping

cyber mapping is a trend among marketers that have been in use for quite some time. it purpose is to seek, survey, and target group of consumers and map their needs, consuming patterns, and spending habits. this way companies know through a cybernetic mean where to physically locate stores and warehouses in order to ensure a steady supply of means for consumers. even though it might sound just as a fast way to gather information, it can also be used to gather vital information from common individuals. this seemingly harmful trend has been adopted by several governmental and private agencies to figure about patterns in local communities, cities, and in some cases, entire countries. but why would consumer information (just focusing on what people consume and their spending patterns) be so important? it so happens that by knowing these simple patterns one can use this information in hopes of achieving two possible outcomes. first scenario is in a positive way. after natural or man caused disaster this information is extremely relevant in order to channel the logistic efforts to meet the population needs, in order to keep a supply stability strong enough to endure and regain a normal condition. the second scenario is with a negative approach. where by knowing what people need and consume frequently, there could be specific efforts to cut these supply routs and cause a local or global instability (depending on the magnitude of the attack).

Taking this into account, how protected are we and up to what level should we hand out our personal information. Because just by answering a simple online survey we might be jeopardizing more than just running out of simple every day things, but rather handing out our own vulnerabilities .