An online profile is a collection of information about you that is available online. This information can be found on social media, websites, and other online platforms. Data automatically collected about you, such as interests, advertising engagement and location also builds up your profile. This information can be used to identify you and can be used to target you for advertising. Data like your location, gender, health information and ad engagement, just to name a few, are collected to build up your online profile. This data can help to suggests friends to share content with, create a personalised experience or track your location so a nearby store can offer discounts. However, some apps and websites have trackers embedded in them that are taking more data then they need to function. These apps often share your online profile with third parties like advertising companies and data brokers. This data is then used to target you with ads, as well as influence your behaviours and decisions. You have become the product, and your information is for sale unless you take action.

Here is a YouTube video by Apple, explaining how this information collection works, and a feature on iPhones than enables you to control how much data is collected.

Cynthia loves to use a shopping app called Temu to catch great bargins. When Cynthia uses the Temu app, it collects information about her device, preferences, and even enagement with products. In the background, it slowly collects more information about her, and can even start to estimate certain data points like her age or gender. Temu then shares this with third parties, who collate this information with information sent about Cynthia from other websites she uses. As this information begins to built up, the advertising companies use this information to target her with ads. Cynthia starts to see ads for products she is interested in, and even starts to see ads for products she has been looking at on other websites. Cynthia is being tracked, and her information is being sold to advertisers.

• Loss of privacy. Cynthia's personal information is being collected and shared without her explicit consent. This can be a violation of her privacy and can make her feel uncomfortable or vulnerable.
• Targeted advertising. While targeted advertising can be useful in some cases, it can also be intrusive and annoying. Cynthia may feel like she is being bombarded with ads for products she doesn't want or need, which can be frustrating.
• Influence on behaviours or decisions. Often, data collected in this fashion will be used to predict and influence Cynthia's behaviours and decisions, changing how she thinks, feels or reacts. One common example of this occuring in real life is how Donald Trump used a company called Cambridge Analytica to create targeted ads designed to influence the choices and habits of potential voters.