Sweepstakes and Freebies are great for Marketing Purposes;
They're Also Great for Mining Your Information
Be Smart When Entering Contests or Requesting Freebies
Our last few posts have focused on the privacy implications of Internet Quizzes. We are currently evaluating SAFE quiz sites, and that series will resume when we've had a chance to complete our research. (The bad sites are MUCH more numerous than the legit ones.) But quiz sites are not the only data miners out there. You must be just as cautious when participating in sweepstakes and contests, as well as when signing up for freebies of any kind.
Playing the "Sweeps"
I have been an avid "sweepser" since the they went online. (Those of us who enter contests and sweepstakes as a hobby affectionately call it "Sweepsing." People who do this are "Sweepsters.") Before there was a World Wide Web, I returned the occasional sweepstakes card, figuring I might get lucky for the cost of a stamp. I foolishly dropped my business card in bowls at restaurants, promising a drawing for a gift card or exotic vacation. Then I wondered where all that junk mail and those time share calls were coming from.
