IP Tracking

The IP tracking is a method to collect people’s behavior general information based on their online researches.

It is a system that automatically registers information when customers are surfing on line or making bookings online and it register everything as data information.

The issue statement of this system is the legal use from companies of those information regarding the protection of the privacy largely threathened on the web?

Did you remark that publicities that you receive on your computer are specified to you and that most of the time they are really relevant to you and what you are doing and want?

IP tracking can be define as a marketing tool but till what extent is it tolerable?

We can divided customer behavior in two different types when they are buying online (In fact there is three degrees of purchase’s involvement (High, Medium and Low) :

- (High and Medium purchase’s involvement) First, those buying directly after checking once online.

- (Low purchase’s involvement) Then, customers that have a low degree of purchase’s involvement and want to compare with different distribution channels (OTAs, TA or TO), before making the final decisión (they rely on the content richness; hotels description, images, pictures and facilities information regarding the location).

The second one will have different suprises after checking again. The price could have increased a lot even after few minutes. Why is it increasing ? Only because you miss the good deal or because of IP tracking ? Is it just only because there are less spot or just because you are recognized as interested to buy ?Have you tried when it happened to suppress the cookies and the historic on your computer or to change and use another one or your smartphone?

When doing that the prices are again the same as they were at the first search. What does it mean for the consumer? When companies know you are interested do they increase their prices?

In france it is now a real concern and the CNIL (Comité nacional informatique et liberté), national commission of informatics and liberty is worried that some companies are using the IP tracking to increase their prices for interested consumer checking prices more than once.

They will be doing an investigation to determine if the practices used by companies are legal or not. (Le Monde, 2013).

They already interrogated the SNCF, trains company and Air france and they totally denied using that practice saying that it won't be of any interest for them. More than that Air France explains that it is impossible for them to use it as different services are responsable for doing the price and distribute them. (Le Figaro, 2013).

Airline companies are also using IP tracking to get and use information.

By looking at American Airline privacy policy it is clearly said that they use information from your browser and other sources and that they will use them. (American Airlines, n.d).

It is interesting to read their confidentiality policy to understand how you are exposed online as we are not really aware of what information is given and how they use them.

So what about confidentiality? What happened to the information and how to control it?

Gallet Clément

Lemas Agnès