--- title: The realities of online privacy vs living off the grid image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1605113240-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2013488880c3a970c-250wi.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2010/10/the-realities-of-online-privacy-vs-living-off-the-grid.html#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # The realities of online privacy vs living off the grid October 28th, 2010 2 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1605113240-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2013488880c3a970c-250wi.jpg?width=250&height=250&name=6a00d83451f23a69e2013488880c3a970c-250wi.jpg) When I talk about [real-time, data-driven marketing and sales](https://www.webinknow.com/2010/10/real-time-data-driven-marketing-and-sales.html), people sometimes get uncomfortable. All this stuff sounds too much like "Big Brother is watching." People feel there is somehow a creepy, stalking quality to these ideas. For example, many people get creeped out by Foursquare: "You mean anyone can find out where you are in the world?" And they recoil in horror about the ways that a company can understand a great deal about you by your online behavior. **Technology is reality now. ** [![Locked computer](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1605113240-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2013488880c3a970c-250wi.jpg "Locked computer")](http://freshspot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f23a69e2013488880c3a970c-pi) Well, there is a choice - but the only option is to live completely off the grid. Other than [Ted Kaczynski](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski), very few people are willing to do that. Sure, when I suggest that a nonprofit monitor the news to see who gets new stock option grants so they can hit them up for a charitable donation I can understand why that seems a bit predatory. That's exactly why it’s imperative to use these tools sensitively. To learn more about how people's behavior is used by companies in real time, and to get some of the privacy issues out into the open, I spoke with [Brian Kardon](http://twitter.com/#!/bkardon), chief marketing officer at [Eloqua](http://www.eloqua.com/), a marketing automation technology company. "Not so long ago, a person might actually walk into a car showroom and ask a salesperson questions about the car they were considering," Kardon says. "Today, before walking into the showroom, a consumer has likely read multiple car model reviews online, posted status updates on Facebook and Twitter ['Looking at new Audi A4 . . . Waddaya think?'], downloaded product specs from Audi’s Web site, and a whole lot more. This is their digital body language." There are hundreds of underlying consumer technologies that record digital body language that are embedded in the devices and services we use every day, including mobile phones, computers, credit cards, electronic toll collection, Web sites, ATMs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, and much more. So, in reality, the only way to achieve true privacy is to live off the grid: No credit cards, no mobile phone, no Internet, no car, no bank account. "Every day, consumers are leaving digital clues about their interests, intents, likes, and dislikes," Kardon says. "Like it or not, every move you make in the digital world is being recorded. That book you bought about vacations in Italy? Yep. That song you downloaded? Yep. That job posting in Philadelphia you looked at? Yep. It is all being recorded." Companies like Eloqua extract data in real time and make it useful for marketers and salespeople. "There is a lot of data," Kardon says. "Eloqua processes more than 2 billion transactions a day. There is no way for mere humans to process it. And forget about Excel. You need huge servers to store the data, algorithms to analyze it, programs to segment it. At the core, marketing automation is about extracting patterns from huge amounts of data. In the most successful organizations, these three systems are integrated and provide one view of the world, processing your digital body language, and millions of others, often in real time." As in any human interaction, discretion is essential in any contact with customers. So you will need to use what these new tools reveal about your customers with care and sensitivity. Doubtless, we’re going to see some gaffes that make us wince. But I’m absolutely convinced that tomorrow’s most successful marketers will be those who understand the new [real-time technology infrastructure](https://www.webinknow.com/2010/10/real-time-data-driven-marketing-and-sales.html). The winners in the always-on world will be those who are most accurately and quickly driven by data. *Image credit: Shutterstock / 3DDock* Disclosure: I am on the board of advisors of Eloqua [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Real-Time Marketing & PR ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/real-time-marketing-pr) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Real%20Time%20PR.png?width=1536&height=1024&name=Real%20Time%20PR.png) ### Why Real-Time PR Matters in the Age of AI Search September 17th, 2025|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/why-real-time-pr-matters-in-the-age-of-ai-search) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trump%20Mug%20shot.jpg?width=1832&height=1226&name=Trump%20Mug%20shot.jpg) ### Trump Rejoins Twitter After 2 Years, Sharing His Mug Shot August 25th, 2023|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/trump-rejoins-twitter-after-2-years-sharing-his-mug-shot) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Apple-WWCD23-Vision-Pro-with-battery-230605.jpg?width=1960&height=1102&name=Apple-WWCD23-Vision-Pro-with-battery-230605.jpg) ### Apple Vision Pro Spatial Computer Launch Is PR Done Right June 6th, 2023|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/apple-vision-pro-spatial-computer-launch-is-pr-done-right) [![Huge number of cases of Budweiser](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Budweiser.jpeg?width=680&height=450&name=Budweiser.jpeg) ### World Cup Sponsor Budweiser Gives Beer To Winning Country When Qatar Bans Alcohol December 8th, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/world-cup-sponsor-budweiser-gives-beer-to-winning-country-when-qatar-bans-alcohol) [![Twitter and Mastodon logos](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Mastodon%20will%20not%20replace%20Twitter.jpg?width=1002&height=520&name=Mastodon%20will%20not%20replace%20Twitter.jpg) ### No Way Mastodon Will Kill Twitter November 10th, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/no-way-mastodon-will-kill-twitter) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Merch%20table.jpg) ### Real and Perceived Scarcity as a Marketing Strategy October 26th, 2021|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/real-and-perceived-scarcity-as-a-marketing-strategy) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Harris%204.jpg) ### Joe Biden Announces Kamala Harris as VP Pick to Fans First August 12th, 2020|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/joe-biden-announces-kamala-harris-as-vp-pick-to-fans-first) [![1 NH and USA flags](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/1%20NH%20and%20USA%20flags.jpg) ### Democratic Presidential Candidates Not Using Digital Platforms to the Full Potential May 8th, 2019|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/democratic-presidential-candidates-not-using-digital-platforms-to-the-full-potential) [![Carbon black image 2.jpg](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Carbon%20black%20image%202.jpg) ### Carbon Black Seizes The Moment When Expertise Is In High Demand June 29th, 2017|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/carbon-black-seizes-the-moment-when-expertise-is-in-high-demand) [![IOT-Press release.jpg](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/IOT-Press%20release.jpg) ### World’s First Real-Time Data Enabled Toilet Paper Holder! May 1st, 2017|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/worlds-first-real-time-data-enabled-toilet-paper-holder) [![Plan_Reacgraphic_1024_102111.jpg](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Plan_Reacgraphic_1024_102111.jpg) ### Marketing Mindfulness April 18th, 2017|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/marketing-mindfulness) [![Trump_on_stage.jpg](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Trump_on_stage.jpg) ### Donald Trump Says the Media Is Corrupt and Has Rigged the Election October 17th, 2016|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/donald-trump-says-the-media-is-currupt-and-has-rigged-the-election) [![VP_debate.jpg](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/VP_debate.jpg) ### After the VP Debate, He Who Loses Becomes the Marketing Winner October 6th, 2016|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/after-the-vp-debate-he-who-loses-becomes-the-marketing-winner) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/women_cards.jpg) ### The Woman Card on Kickstarter is Awesome Newsjacking of Donald Trump May 5th, 2016|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-woman-card-on-kickstarter-is-awesome-newsjacking-of-donald-trump) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/saying_no.jpg) ### When Your Colleagues and Bosses Say "No" to Real Time Communications April 6th, 2016|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/when-your-colleagues-and-bosses-say-no-to-real-time-communications) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Enplug_DMS.jpg) ### Bringing Online Content to Your Offline Marketing March 16th, 2016|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/bringing-online-content-to-your-offline-marketing) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Jack-King-NASAjpg.jpg) ### Learning from Jack King: Visionary of Real-Time Content Marketing June 15th, 2015|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/learning-from-jack-king-visionary-of-real-time-content-marketing) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Deflate1.jpg) ### Deflategate Newsjacking Real-Time Strategy May 13th, 2015|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/deflategate-newsjacking-real-time-strategy) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/risk_shutterstock.jpg) ### Safe is Too Risky April 29th, 2015|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/safe-is-too-risky) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Periscopeforliveevents.jpg) ### Chronicle Your Life and Business with Live Video Feeds March 30th, 2015|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/chronicle-your-life-and-business-with-live-video-feeds) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hub/413105/file-2349720555.jpg) ### #DawnWall and the Fear of Real Time Media January 15th, 2015|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/dawnwall-and-the-fear-of-real-time-media) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hub/413105/file-1998147749.jpg) ### Reactvertising [TM] a hysterical look at Real-Time Marketing October 31st, 2014|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/reactvertising-tm-a-hysterical-look-at-real-time-marketing) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604817292-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e201a511effd69970c-320wi.jpg) ### Real-time lessons from the photo pit August 4th, 2014|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2014/08/real-time-lessons-from-the-photo-pit.html) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1601557199-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e201a73dbe7922970d-400wi.jpg) ### Social super voice at Cisco Partner Velocity May 7th, 2014|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2014/05/social-super-voice-at-cisco-partner-velocity.html) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott" }, "datePublished" : "2010-10-28T10:22:03.000Z", "headline" : "The realities of online privacy vs living off the grid", "image" : [ "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1605113240-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2013488880c3a970c-250wi.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2010/10/the-realities-of-online-privacy-vs-living-off-the-grid.html", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/_Assets/Logo/david-meerman-scott.png" }, "name" : "David Meerman Scott" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#person", "@type" : "Person", "description" : "Marketing and sales visionary, international bestselling author of 12 books, keynote speaker in 47 countries, and advisor to emerging companies.", "email" : "mailto:David@DavidMeermanScott.com", "image" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/DMS-Homepage-Featured.jpg", "jobTitle" : [ "Keynote Speaker", "Author", "Business Growth Strategist", "Marketing Advisor" ], "knowsAbout" : [ "Content Marketing", "Fandom Marketing", "Newsjacking", "Real-Time Marketing", "Public Relations", "Sales Strategy", "Business Growth" ], "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "sameAs" : [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Meerman_Scott", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmeermanscott", "https://x.com/dmscott", "https://www.instagram.com/dmscott/" ], "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#website", "@type" : "WebSite", "author" : { "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#person" }, "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "potentialAction" : { "@type" : "SearchAction", "query-input" : "required name=search_term_string", "target" : { "@type" : "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/search?q={search_term_string}" } }, "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott" }, "dateCreated" : "2014-09-10T23:02:19", "datePublished" : "2010-10-28T06:22:03-0400", "description" : "", "headline" : "The realities of online privacy vs living off the grid", "image" : [ "http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/413105/file-1605113240-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2013488880c3a970c-250wi.jpg" ], "inLanguage" : "en-us", "learningResourceType" : "article", "name" : "The realities of online privacy vs living off the grid", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://413105.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/413105/_Assets/Logo/david-meerman-scott.png" }, "name" : "Freshspot Marketing LLC" }, "timeRequired" : "2 minutes", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2010/10/the-realities-of-online-privacy-vs-living-off-the-grid.html" } ```